MD - Tech tycoon's Annapolis mansion destroyed by fire and 6 missing

[dish1234]

I came to Websleuths to see if there was a thread on this horrible fire and to get an idea of what others are speculating. It's been all over the news here in the DC metro area. It seems 4 of the 6 bodies have been recovered now.

Since I didn't see anyone else answer the question, the reason why it is the Boone/Pyle families is because the two sons, who lost their children in this fire, are Don Pyle's stepsons. Reading the news articles, Don met Sandy at his first job out of college. She was a bit older than him (I think 6 years older) and the sons were hers from a previous relationship. Sounds like he raised them as his own, but that is why their last names are different than his.

Also, I know one outlet was reporting that the two sons lived with the Pyles in their home but that is not correct. It looks like both of the other families/sons lived nearby and the grandparents/Don & Sandy were having a sleepover with the 4 kids Sunday and overnight into Monday, as they didn't have school on Monday because of the MLK holiday. One of the sons, the one with the two daughters, also has a newborn boy, who was not in the house during the fire/was with his parents.

I guess anything is possible at this point but it does seem hard to imagine that this was a murder/suicide. Why involve the children? And living on the water, if that was the case, he could have made it look like an accident if he went out boating and then suddenly disappeared/drowned.

Pyle seemed to be very well-respected and self made guy. His "thing" seemed to be developing tech companies and spinning them off/selling them to larger companies. He'd done that multiple times and that's how he made his fortune. Cyber security is a lucrative field and he might have joined this Reston firm in order to guide them into another acquisition scenario, for which he seemed to really be well versed.

On the news, they interviewed a man who came to the house's gate to lay flowers at it. He said he used to work for Pyle and he was one of the best bosses he'd ever had and was just an all around great guy. The man was visibly upset and had tears in his eyes. It sounds like everyone who knew them really liked them.

Those poor parents. They just lost their mother, their stepfather and their children all at once. All that is left is them and the one little baby grandson. They stand to inherit a fortune but I'm sure they would give every single penny away if it would bring back their family. Their lives just changed forever in an instant.

I hope the investigators figure out what transpired. My one nagging question is how a house of that size, with probably hundreds of thousands spent on installing smart technology, did not have some sort of water spray extinguisher system installed. I know someone else in this thread said that many people don't install them because they might ruin artworks and antiques with water damage but you would think they could be zoned to minimize that.

Really horrible stuff. They really seemed like nice people who, even for all their wealth and riches, were very down to earth. Hearing that they took the grandkids to Target to buy costumes that they could wear to go to Medieval Times the night the fire happened sounds like something I would do with my own family, and we are certainly not millionaires. I really hope they did not suffer in this fire and the smoke took them fast. :-/

 

[MyBelle]

Murder/suicide are always senseless crimes to those of us standing firmly on the outside. Especially so when they involve precious children. But until it is determined the cause and whether an accelerant was part of this fire, it will remain a possibility just as a child playing with matches, gas explosion, discarded cig, etc., remain possibilities.

It is fortunate that we have an ATF agency to get involved in such unexplained explosions/fires. They are currently investigating the car fire that killed Jessica Chambers in MS and are still looking into--and offered an award--in the car bombing that injured Erik Chappell and his sons in Michigan several years ago.

JMO

 

[SleuthinCa]

I just have to correct the photo ages above, Charlotte was 8, Wes was 6.

So, so horrible. That poor family.

 

[popsicle]

Crews have found a fifth body in an Annapolis mansion gutted by fire

“We’re definitely making progress in terms of determining the cause and origin based on the physical evidence we’re recovering as well as through the series of interviews we’ve received from the team,” Cheplak said.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local...59add6-a31e-11e4-9f89-561284a573f8_story.html

 

[Snoods]

I just have to correct the photo ages above, Charlotte was 8, Wes was 6.

So, so horrible. That poor family.

My apologies about the mix up on Charlotte and Wes' ages, it's too late for me to fix it now. But yes, SleuthinCA is correct. :blushing:

 

[wildebeest]

I am having trouble believing that not one of the six family members didn't hear a smoke alarm and at least attempt to escape. I am puzzled...One would think that a house of that size would have numerous balconies, outdoor porches, etc. I feel sure there will be answers. My heartfelt condolences to the surviving family.

 

[MsFacetious]

I am very impressed they've found 5 bodies. Maybe they were all in the same area? That would make it easier.

 

[popsicle]

What if the children were sleeping in the basement playroom. If the smoke didn't overcome the grand-parents first they were most likely trying to save the children and get to them when they were either overcome by smoke or the bldg falling around them. Very tragic.

This reminds me of the Petit family home invasion and the girls were tied to their beds and the house set on fire. Or the Harvey family in Richmond.

 

[Kateyes]

I pray that the investigation finds nothing more than a tragic accidental fire. Truly would be best for the surviving sons and their families. There have been too many horrible situations where families were targeted - such as the Petit family - or where someone in the family caused the tragedy. Its tragic beyond words, but easier to grasp if truly an accident. Prayers to the family and close friends.

 

[Morag]

What if the children were sleeping in the basement playroom. If the smoke didn't overcome the grand-parents first they were most likely trying to save the children and get to them when they were either overcome by smoke or the bldg falling around them. Very tragic.

This reminds me of the Petit family home invasion and the girls were tied to their beds and the house set on fire. Or the Harvey family in Richmond.

I'm assuming that all six of them were sleeping in the basement. Kids that age usually wouldn't sleep two floors away from the adults. When I look at Bing map birds eye view images of the house, it doesn't look as though there were any windows or outside doors at basement level, so any escape would have to have been through the house and to the first floor.

 

[Blondie in Spokane]

I'm assuming that all six of them were sleeping in the basement. Kids that age usually wouldn't sleep two floors away from the adults. When I look at Bing map birds eye view images of the house, it doesn't look as though there were any windows or outside doors at basement level, so any escape would have to have been through the house and to the first floor.

How frightening

 

[snowleopard]

I'm trying to find the article, but somewhere the Washington Post said that the upper floors had collapsed into the basement and that 'everything is in the basement'. So It's possible everyone was sleeping on the higher floors. I'll keep looking. Found similar Article: http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/01/20/us-usa-maryland-fire-idUSKBN0KT27320150120

 

[popsicle]

This is the Anne Arundle 1st Alert FB page. On it, the Arundel News Network shares interviews with Fire Investigations experts about fire investigations in general to provide insight to the nature of the Childs Point Road fire. The questions and answers do not relate specifically to the ongoing investigation in Annapolis.

Many of the factors mentioned in this story can be related to the Child Point fire. It doesn't provide exact answers to the ongoing investigation. But it does give us an inside view of the process the investigators go through while performing investigations.

"Answers in the Ashes" https://www.facebook.com/AA1stAlert/posts/357520101118357:0

 

[October]

I'm assuming that all six of them were sleeping in the basement. Kids that age usually wouldn't sleep two floors away from the adults. When I look at Bing map birds eye view images of the house, it doesn't look as though there were any windows or outside doors at basement level, so any escape would have to have been through the house and to the first floor.

I would bet that there was a kids bedroom in the house. There were 7 bedrooms and this couple was very active in the kids' lives, so I bet at least one bedroom was set up for them with real beds. Just speculation, of course.

 

[wendybtn]

1999 Laura Bible and Ashley Freeman...Freeman home burned down and the mother was found shot to death inside the burned remains of the home. They suspected the father of doing it and escaping with the 2 teens. Laura Bible's family searched the burned remains themselves and found human bones that was the body of the father and he had also been shot. The 2 teens have never been found. Why authorities missed the father's remains was a big question.

Yes, any cases besides the Bible/Freeman case in Oklahoma and the Leverette/Daniel case outside of Nashville? Thanks!

 

[wendybtn]

I heard earlier this morning on the news that there was no access to fire hydrants in the area.

I know very little about fires, arson, fighting fires, etc., but with the location of the house from the pictures, I just assumed the local fire department would use the body of water around the home? I know they can do that with the right equipment. I assume their home was not the only one like this in the community.

 

[wendybtn]

[/B]
How frightening

I know! Smoke rises and if we are all in the remodelled basement with some music or a tv on, they probably never heard a thing and died when the house fell in on them.

 

[panthera]

Plus it was a smart house. Sensors were probably everywhere. So I wonder how long it took for a reading to go through and then the call to the fd from the alarm/security company. From what I've read, the fd made it there in 2 minutes from the call. Maybe this is why the ATF is involved and they're looking into accelerants. In reading comments on various articles, neighbors that knew the Pyle's say they had gas and that their tanks were underground. That would make sense why the home didn't explode outward if the gas played a factor IMO.

As the fire spread rapidly with no possibility of survival, I also am curious if it was a leaking underground (gas) storage tank which caused the fire. Thankfully ATF is involved and there should be answers and hopefully it won't be anything like the tragedy in Connecticut on Christmas a few years ago where someone apparently failed to properly discard burning embers from a fireplace.

So sad for the parents of the children lost here...
:cry:

MOO

 

[MsFacetious]

There was a room for the kids sleepovers in the basement. It was linked earlier. :twocents:

 

[dish1234]

I know very little about fires, arson, fighting fires, etc., but with the location of the house from the pictures, I just assumed the local fire department would use the body of water around the home? I know they can do that with the right equipment. I assume their home was not the only one like this in the community.

The fire department did deploy trucks with water pumps to dowse the blaze. The problem was that it took 2 hours for them to be operational. The fire was so massive, it took over a day to finally extinguish it.

I think it's hard to get your head around just how big their house was. The spokespeople have said it was the size of 6 typical houses and the fire was larger than ones seen at commercial buildings. So, I imagine they didn't just have a playroom and a bedroom for the grandkids in the basement, they probably had an entire wing.

A woman was interviewed for a Washington Post article who mentioned that Sandy/the wife once owned a string of tanning salons. She had a tanning area in one of the turrets in the house. Yeah, it was that big.

This morning on the news, they said they'll be releasing the cause of the fire tomorrow.