Final Victim's Remains Found in Reston Executive's Mansion: Officials

The body of the sixth and final family member who perished in a Jan. 19 fire at a $4.2 million Annapolis mansion that was destroyed by fire was found by searchers on Monday, authorities said.

The Anne Arundel County Fire Department announced at 4 p.m. Monday that all occupants of the house, which was destroyed in the inferno, are believed to be accounted for.

Work focused on the investigation into the fire and its cause will continue at the site on Tuesday. Officials expect operations at the site will continue for another 48 hours.

On Jan. 21 searchers found two bodies in the charred remains of the house; two more victims were found on Jan. 22; and a fifth victim was found on Jan. 23. While the search for the sixth body continued through the weekend, the work did not find the final victim. Officials would not say if the victims found were adults or children.

Relatives of Donald and Sandra Pyle said the couple and their four grandchildren died Jan. 19 when their home in the 900 block of Childs Point Road was consumed in a four-alarm blaze.

Children Perish After Weekend with Grandparents

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.

WBAL TV reports the missing children were identified by a family representative as Alexis Boone, 8; Kaitlyn Boone, 7; Charlotte Boone, 8; and Wesley Boone, 6. The Boone children are the grandchildren of Sandra Pyle and the step-grandchildren of Don Pyle.

The kids had Jan. 19 off from school because of the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday, so they spent Jan. 18 with their grandparents and stayed overnight. The Capital-Gazette reports Sandra Pyle bought costumes the youngsters wore to dinner at Medieval Times at Arundel Mills mall in Hanover. The group then went to the Pyles’ castle, as neighbors had dubbed the 16,000-square-foot house.

Kaitlyn and sister Alexis are the children of Randy and Stacey Boone, who also have a month-old son. The girls’ cousins, Wes and Charlotte, are the children of Clint and Eve Boone, the newspaper says.

Capt. Russ Davies, a spokesman for the Anne Arundel County Fire Department, said previously on the department’s Facebook page that the bodies would all be taken to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Baltimore for autopsy and identification.

“This remains a complex scene and much work remains to be done,” the fire department said.

Message from Grieving Family

A statement from the Boone and Pyle families thanked emergency workers for their efforts, and the community for its condolences.

“On behalf of the Boone and Pyle families, we wish to express our gratitude and appreciation for the love and support being shared with us during this tragic event. We are blessed that so many family, friends and neighbors have come together for us in our time of need,” the statement said reports WBAL.

“Our love for our family is boundless. Our loss demands time and quiet reflection to process these feelings. We ask that you respect our need for privacy,” the statement says. “Life is fragile. Make time today to embrace your loved ones.”

Intense flames kept firefighters out of the house to search for victims Jan. 19, as floors and ceilings collapsed. The search for victims began Jan. 21 once water was pumped out of the home’s basement and the skeletal structure was stabilized.

»Fire scene photos from the Anne Arundel County Fire Department’s Facebook page; family members photos via screenshots from WBAL TV

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