PLAINFIELD TOWNSHIP, Mich. — The home explosion that rocked a Plainfield Township neighborhood on Tuesday morning is believed to be an intentional attempt at a murder suicide, said the Kent County Sheriff's Office.
The explosion happened in a house on Rollaway Drive near 7 Mile Road and Division Avenue around 4 a.m. on May 26.
Nearly 12 hours later, Undersheriff Bryan Muir announced the initial details compiled by detectives pointed to the explosion being intentionally set by the husband of the home.
"The fire was intentionally set, what we believe, by the husband at this point intending to be a murder suicide at the residence," said Muir.
"Intentionally set": Investigators believe domestic struggles preceded explosion
The woman in the home was pulled out of the debris by a teen who lived next door and another neighbor, said the Undersheriff. That woman remains in the hospital in serious condition.
"We are incredibly thankful to the nearby residents that rushed to the female associated with the address rescue and were able to pull her from the home," said Muir. "That includes a teenager that lived just next door as well as another male who lived nearby. Without their actions, it's likely that she would have perished in the fire."
Investigators did not release the names of either the man or woman involved in the explosion. The Undersheriff said the Medical Examiner's Office continued work on positively identifying the man.
In a press release from the Kent County Sheriff's Office sent to the FOX 17 newsroom Tuesday afternoon, authorities said the person whose body was found at the scene is believed to be the man registered to the address.
When FOX 17 reporter Paige Meyer asked authorities at the sheriff's office to confirm the connection between the body found in the fire, and the husband of the home, they could not definitively confirm their connection.
"At this point we believe this to be a domestic-related situation at the home," said Muir. "There's no concerns of any gas leaks or any other type of home explosions in the area."
Fire Chief Jeremy Kelly from Plainfield Township said the current working theory is that the man intentionally created a natural gas leak in the basement, which led to the explosion.
"The leak of the natural gas was probably, allegedly, intentionally released into the basement," Chief Kelly said. "Unknown what the ignition source was to cause the explosion, but every indicator at that point in time appears to be the natural gas was used to start the fire."
Some of the evidence in the case included text message exchanges and statements made by the woman at the scene of the explosion.
FOX 17 used property records to track down the couple's identity. We also found court records showing the pair was in the midst of divorce proceedings. Documents confirmed the wife filed for divorce in March of this year.
We are not identifying the couple publicly out of respect for the family.
Aerial video: Aftermath of house explosion
Undersheriff Muir said his department received roughly 50 calls of an explosion rocking homes as far as 3 miles away from the scene on Rollaway Drive.
A neighbor shared video from her ring doorbell, showing the moment the house exploded in a ball of light.
WATCH: House explosion captured on Ring doorbell
Initially, five different fire departments in addition to Kent County deputies responded to the scene. Agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms have been seen on-scene investigating, in addition to DTE employees.
Kent
'We heard two explosions': Neighbor recalls Plainfield Township home destruction
The investigation into the explosion remains active with the Kent County Sheriff's Office, Plainfield Township Fire Department, Michigan State Police, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Anyone with information on the explosion is encouraged to contact the sheriff's office at (616) 632-6125. Detectives specifically requested video evidence be shared to investigators through this link.
Tips can also be anonymously submitted through Silent Observer at (616) 774-2345.
