Bethesda house fire- tunnels under the house??

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Tunnels were apparently "100's of feet long".

http://www.fox5dc.com/news/local-news/homeowner-arrested-for-deadly-bethesda-house-fire-where-mysterious-tunnels-found#/

Well, good, that they are arresting the homeowner. And that article links to another saying authorities are going to take the house down, so I guess they will have to find out the extent of the tunnels then. Apparently, they didn't explore them all because some were too small and unsafe.

[Anonymous]

It was emotionally labor.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It was emotionally labor.

what on earth does that mean?

[Anonymous]

I'm the OP, and I'm bumping this. I've only been in the area 5 years or so, but in that time I've read a fair amount of DCUM. I can't understand why this story doesn't have a long thread on it!

It's got everything DC. Politics, terrorism maybe, intrigue, race, class, weirdness, property rights, murder/accidental death

I brought it to DCUM because there are SO many unanswered questions, and so often in those cases, some anonymous DCUMer has answers.

Why doesn't DCUM care?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm the OP, and I'm bumping this. I've only been in the area 5 years or so, but in that time I've read a fair amount of DCUM. I can't understand why this story doesn't have a long thread on it!

It's got everything DC. Politics, terrorism maybe, intrigue, race, class, weirdness, property rights, murder/accidental death

I brought it to DCUM because there are SO many unanswered questions, and so often in those cases, some anonymous DCUMer has answers.

Why doesn't DCUM care?

Not OP, but I care too! Wish there was more information......

[Anonymous]

Its murder ...https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/public-safety/police-say-the-digging-of-secret-tunnels-beneath-a-bethesda-home-led-to-murder-heres-why/2018/05/30/296ef5ca-6369-11e8-a69c-b944de66d9e7_story.html?noredirect=on&utm_term=.dfd410b6a945

[Anonymous]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/public-safety/police-say-the-digging-of-secret-tunnels-beneath-a-bethesda-home-led-to-murder-heres-why/2018/05/30/296ef5ca-6369-11e8-a69c-b944de66d9e7_story.html?noredirect=on&utm_term=.dfd410b6a945

[Anonymous]

It’s like a weird scene out of law and order. I would think only a weirdo with bad intent would have tunnels. At first, I thought pedophile hiding children. Then I thought maybe an s&m torture chamber. Just really weird! Glad I don’t live anywhere near there because that is some spooky shit!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm the OP, and I'm bumping this. I've only been in the area 5 years or so, but in that time I've read a fair amount of DCUM. I can't understand why this story doesn't have a long thread on it!

It's got everything DC. Politics, terrorism maybe, intrigue, race, class, weirdness, property rights, murder/accidental death

I brought it to DCUM because there are SO many unanswered questions, and so often in those cases, some anonymous DCUMer has answers.

Why doesn't DCUM care?

It's a fascinating story, but I wouldn't jump to any conclusions yet beyond saying they're extremely weird and disturbed.

[Anonymous]

I am a home-improvement type contractor and got a call from a man with a townhouse in Centerville. When I went to the house I was met at the door by someone who looked like Stephen Hawking but he could stand and walk around. He took me inside and I had to walk through the house sideways because there was so much stuff everywhere, it wasn’t trash and strewn about like a hoarder would have but I remember that there was basically five and six neatly stacked boxes of everything you could imagine all over- five brand new Hamilton Beach blenders, three toaster oven‘s, 10 boxes of kodiak photographic paper, five Gateway computers, huge Costco sized boxes of dry goods, stack after stack after stack of four and five pristine items just lined up everywhere. It didn’t smell and although absolutely packed to the ceiling was very clean.

I asked about the logistics of working on the outside of the house and requested to see the backyard, I looked down out of the back second story window and saw nothing but galvanized corrugated steel sheeting that you would see on a commercial building before they pour a concrete floor.
I told him that I didn’t know if I could place ladders on it and would like to see what was below the corrugated steel, it took some insisting on my part but he brought me down to the first floor where he opened the door to the backyard; once he opened the door I could look down almost 40 feet.

This person with the help of another really weird guy had excavated the entire footprint of his townhouse backyard down nearly 40 feet and I believe there was a tunnel down there as well, all of this was done without the use of a machine and it was carried out of the back fence in 5 gallon buckets bit by bit. The sides of the tunnel were reinforced with timber cribbing and they had pumps running to remove water.

I was so freaked out by these two that I never submitted a proposal to work there but I think they were building some type of Y2K bunker. I can’t believe his house or his neighbors didn’t collapse into the monstrous hole he dug behind it

This has nothing to do with the tunnel in Maryland but it reminded me of it, the lunatic I visited also had all sorts of mechanical and computer devices throughout the house that I’ve never seen anything like before.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: I am a home-improvement type contractor and got a call from a man with a townhouse in Centerville. When I went to the house I was met at the door by someone who looked like Stephen Hawking but he could stand and walk around. He took me inside and I had to walk through the house sideways because there was so much stuff everywhere, it wasn’t trash and strewn about like a hoarder would have but I remember that there was basically five and six neatly stacked boxes of everything you could imagine all over- five brand new Hamilton Beach blenders, three toaster oven‘s, 10 boxes of kodiak photographic paper, five Gateway computers, huge Costco sized boxes of dry goods, stack after stack after stack of four and five pristine items just lined up everywhere. It didn’t smell and although absolutely packed to the ceiling was very clean.

I asked about the logistics of working on the outside of the house and requested to see the backyard, I looked down out of the back second story window and saw nothing but galvanized corrugated steel sheeting that you would see on a commercial building before they pour a concrete floor.
I told him that I didn’t know if I could place ladders on it and would like to see what was below the corrugated steel, it took some insisting on my part but he brought me down to the first floor where he opened the door to the backyard; once he opened the door I could look down almost 40 feet.

This person with the help of another really weird guy had excavated the entire footprint of his townhouse backyard down nearly 40 feet and I believe there was a tunnel down there as well, all of this was done without the use of a machine and it was carried out of the back fence in 5 gallon buckets bit by bit. The sides of the tunnel were reinforced with timber cribbing and they had pumps running to remove water.

I was so freaked out by these two that I never submitted a proposal to work there but I think they were building some type of Y2K bunker. I can’t believe his house or his neighbors didn’t collapse into the monstrous hole he dug behind it

This has nothing to do with the tunnel in Maryland but it reminded me of it, the lunatic I visited also had all sorts of mechanical and computer devices throughout the house that I’ve never seen anything like before.

[Anonymous]

Creepy

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: I am a home-improvement type contractor and got a call from a man with a townhouse in Centerville. When I went to the house I was met at the door by someone who looked like Stephen Hawking but he could stand and walk around. He took me inside and I had to walk through the house sideways because there was so much stuff everywhere, it wasn’t trash and strewn about like a hoarder would have but I remember that there was basically five and six neatly stacked boxes of everything you could imagine all over- five brand new Hamilton Beach blenders, three toaster oven‘s, 10 boxes of kodiak photographic paper, five Gateway computers, huge Costco sized boxes of dry goods, stack after stack after stack of four and five pristine items just lined up everywhere. It didn’t smell and although absolutely packed to the ceiling was very clean.

I asked about the logistics of working on the outside of the house and requested to see the backyard, I looked down out of the back second story window and saw nothing but galvanized corrugated steel sheeting that you would see on a commercial building before they pour a concrete floor.
I told him that I didn’t know if I could place ladders on it and would like to see what was below the corrugated steel, it took some insisting on my part but he brought me down to the first floor where he opened the door to the backyard; once he opened the door I could look down almost 40 feet.

This person with the help of another really weird guy had excavated the entire footprint of his townhouse backyard down nearly 40 feet and I believe there was a tunnel down there as well, all of this was done without the use of a machine and it was carried out of the back fence in 5 gallon buckets bit by bit. The sides of the tunnel were reinforced with timber cribbing and they had pumps running to remove water.

I was so freaked out by these two that I never submitted a proposal to work there but I think they were building some type of Y2K bunker. I can’t believe his house or his neighbors didn’t collapse into the monstrous hole he dug behind it

This has nothing to do with the tunnel in Maryland but it reminded me of it, the lunatic I visited also had all sorts of mechanical and computer devices throughout the house that I’ve never seen anything like before.

I suppose you felt like you couldn't report it, because he would suspect it was you?
Isn't this why we have a system of permits and building codes? Surely this kind of thing is totally not legal. And dangerous for the neighbors, and ruining their property value? This is also true of the Bethesda house. If I were a neighbor, I'd be outraged to know there might well be unstable tunnels under my house (that may or may not have a had explosives in them.) Even if those tunnels are filled, the foundation of the house could be compromised.

Wonder why only one brother has been arrested? As PP noted, it sure looks like murder. And, even if it's not ultimately ruled to be murder, you can't just hire people to work in those sorts of conditions and get away with it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This whole thing is scarey. We know people that live o. That street and almost every house has little kids. We're lucky he didn't blow that place sky high. I can't believe he's not under arrest--is it legal to be digging tunnels under your house and have all that stuff? Yikes.

Obviously you know precisely dick about explosive chemistry. Thermite is about as explosive as bubblegum.

No, but it has some interesting applications. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thermite

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm the OP, and I'm bumping this. I've only been in the area 5 years or so, but in that time I've read a fair amount of DCUM. I can't understand why this story doesn't have a long thread on it!

It's got everything DC. Politics, terrorism maybe, intrigue, race, class, weirdness, property rights, murder/accidental death

I brought it to DCUM because there are SO many unanswered questions, and so often in those cases, some anonymous DCUMer has answers.

Why doesn't DCUM care?

Because it's a thread full of links and lots of us don't click links. Try providing a synopsis and starting a dialogue.

The tale from the Centreville contractor is fascinating (and done dcum right!). I can't believe the neighbors aren't horrified. They are sharing yard, roof, walls with this lunatic. Also are probably getting water issues.