Washington County Man Found Dead In Home With Lab & Chemicals

Family members say they hadn’t spoken to the man in several day

Hagerstown, Md. (BW)- A Washington County man was found dead inside a residence on the morning of Thursday, Nov. 3 after his family requested a welfare check.

The man was identified as 60-year-old Bradley Ray Roberts of the 23,000 block of Foxville Road in Smithsburg. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Family members from out of the area said they had not spoken with Roberts in several days and that he had been ill.

Maryland State Police arrived at the scene shortly after 11 a.m. They were able to see Roberts through a window. He was lying face down on the floor next to what appeared to be a homemade labratory with an excessive amount of unknown chemicals.

Investigators trained in clandestine laboratories and explosive chemical compounds, local task force agents from the Drug Enforcement Administration, EMS Personnel from the Washington County Fire and HazMat team, and investigators in the Maryland State Police Criminal Investigation Division all responded to the scene and assisted in entering the home.

Foxville Road was closed to traffic due to the unknown chemicals found in the residence. Once the substances were tested and found to not be explosive, the roadway was reopened.

First Call Enviornmental responded to the scene to safely remove the chemicals from the residence.

Roberts body was transported to the Chief Medical Examiner for autopsy.

Police are still investigating the cause and manner of death.