Official: 2 Bodies Found in Mansion Rubble; 4 People Missing

Searchers using cadaver dogs on Wednesday found two bodies in the ruins of a $4.2 Annapolis mansion that was destroyed by fire, while four family members remain missing, authorities said Wednesday afternoon.

Relatives of Donald and Sandra Pyle said the couple and their four grandchildren died Monday when their home in the 900 block of Childs Point Road was consumed in a four-alarm blaze.

The Washington Post reports the home is owned by Reston IT exec Donald Pyle and his wife, Sandra Pyle. Donald Pyle is chief operating officer at ScienceLogic, according to the Post, an information technology company that monitors networks for private and government clients.

At a briefing Wednesday afternoon, Capt. Russ Davies, a spokesman for the Anne Arundel County Fire Department, said two bodies were found earlier in the day. He can’t specify whether the victims found were adults or children, adding that four people are still unaccounted for in the ruins of the house. The bodies have been taken to Baltimore for autopsies and identification.

Davies would not say in what area of the house the bodies were found.

While officials with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms are assisting with the investigation into the fire, authorities have said there has so far been no indication that the fire was suspicious.

Searchers have not brought in dogs trained to spot accelerants, Davies said Wednesday. Work at the scene is likely to continue for days, he said.

Intense flames kept firefighters out of the house to search for victims Monday, as floors and ceilings collapsed. The search for victims began Wednesday once water was pumped out of the home’s basement and the skeletal structure was stabilized.

In a letter obtained byThe Capital newspaper, Severn School Headmaster Douglas Lagarde said the fire killed the Pyles and their four grandchildren: Wes and Charlotte Boone, and Katie and Lexi Boone.

The newspaper says Stacey Boone, the mother of Lexi and Katie, posted this note on Facebook: “I never knew that I could hurt this badly. It’s unreal. All one big nightmare that I can’t wake up from.”

Capt. Robert Howard said Tuesday, “The people are missing and unaccounted for. We do not declare anyone deceased until we have recovered evidence,” he said,reports WTOP.

Special Agent David Cheplak with the ATF’s Baltimore field office, told the Associated Press there was no evidence of foul play at this time.

Crews responded at 3:30 a.m. Monday to the home in the 900 block of Childs Point Road. Some 85 firefighters battled the fire in the 16,000-square-foot home through the night, getting it under control around 7 a.m. Monday. But crews battled hot spots at the scene throughout the day.

Fire dispatchers began receiving calls at 3:30 a.m. Monday, the Capital-Gazette reported, with the first call from a home security company. There were no 911 calls made from the house, Davies said Wednesday. Firefighters arrived on the scene about two minutes after the first calls.

»PHOTO: Capt. Russ Davies, spokesman for the Anne Arundel County Fire Department, speaks at a Wednesday media briefing; screenshot from WMAR TV. Fire scene photos from the department’s Facebook page.

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