Merck Chemist Charged With Dumping Poison Found Dead: Police

A Bucks County man and senior chemist at a Merck laboratory in Montgomery County who was charged in February with dumping a poisonous chemical into a public stormwater inlet has been found dead at his Warrington home, police confirmed.

Richard O'Rourke, 60, was found Tuesday evening from what police believe was a self- inflicted gunshot wound. The Bucks County Hazmat team and Bomb Squad were called to the scene on Highland Road due to a "suspicious" item found at his property.

Police were called to O'Rourke's home shortly before 4 p.m. to check on his well-being. A neighbor called because she hadn't seen him since Sunday and knew he was not happy with his life, Warrington Police said in a statement.

Police found O’Rourke deceased inside his residence. While exiting the home, police saw a metal box inside the breezeway of the residence with a large padlock securing it. As a precaution, Warrington Police called the Warrington Fire Company, Bucks County Hazmat team, and the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Bomb Squad to assist.

The metal box was scanned and examined by the Hazmat team and Bomb Squad, and sent to Merck for further testing and evaluation. It is not yet known what was in the box.

The property was checked and deemed safe by the Bucks County Hazmat team.

O'Rourke was facing criminal charges in connection with an incident that happened in December. Authorities allege he stole potassium cyanide from the Merck & Co. laboratory in Upper Gwynedd Township where he worked and dumped it into a public stormwater inlet after he knew he was under investigation.

He was charged with causing or risking catastrophe in connection with the alleged incident, which happened in December. The action caused the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection and surrounding water departments to be on "high alert" status, monitoring for signs of the extremely dangerous chemical for two weeks, authorities said.

He later told authorities he had planned to use the rapidly fatal chemical to kill rodents on his property, but on Dec. 15 illegally dumped it into an inlet in the area of County Line and Street roads, between Easton Road and Second Street Pike, authorities said.

The PA DEP and the water departments were on "high-alert status" for two weeks due to the incident, authorities said.