In the early hours of a March morning in Rockville, Maryland, a thunderous explosion shattered the pre-dawn quiet, leveling a house on Ashley Drive and shaking the surrounding neighborhood. The blast was so powerful it blew out windows in nearby homes and scattered debris across the area. When the sun rose, all that remained of the single-family home was a pile of rubble.
The home, it would later be discovered, was scheduled to be sold at auction later that very day.
Amidst the wreckage, investigators made a grim discovery in what was once the basement of the residence. They located the body of 61-year-old Steven Martin Beck, the male resident of the home. Close to him lay his deceased dog. The subsequent investigation by the Montgomery County Police Department, in conjunction with fire marshals and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, would piece together the tragic events that preceded the blast.
The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner determined that Steven Beck’s death was a suicide from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. It was also revealed that his dog had been shot and killed. The investigation concluded that these events took place before the massive explosion that destroyed the house. Further inquiries into the circumstances leading up to the incident revealed that the gas service to the home had been disconnected nearly two years prior, yet there had been unauthorized use of gas at the property in the months leading up to the explosion. The investigation into the specifics of what caused the explosion continued, but the personal tragedy that unfolded within the home's walls had already reached its somber conclusion.
