The mystery tunnels and bunkers under a Bethesda home extend under the road and may go under neighbors' homes, according to a new lawsuit just filed by Montgomery County.
The county sued the owners of the house on Friday. The now abandoned house was gutted by a fire in September that killed a Silver Spring man. Askia Khafra was trapped in a tunnel by the fire.
The county is demanding the homeowners, David and Daniel Beckwitt, deal with the dangerous tunnels under the home, as well as the hazardous waste and human excrement inside it. County inspectors say there is risk of the tunnels could collapse.
The home allegedly undermined by tunnels and bunkers and filled with hazardous waste and human excrement is on Danbury Road, just above and up the hill from this writer's home.
WUSA9's Bruce Leshan was among the first to try to get inside and save the life of Khafra, 21. He was allegedly brought to the house by its owner, Daniel Beckwitt, who had him help with the excavation.
Beckwitt, a hacker with a history of criminal charges, had talked about building a shelter under his house in case of nuclear war.
More than six months after the fire, investigators still trying to determine the manner of Khafra's death. They know the cause was burns and smoke inhalation, but they're unsure if it was murder, suicide, or an accident.
The house is still a disaster, littered with trash and surrounded by a fence, with rats now invading neighbors' yards.
Montgomery County alleges the Beckwitts have failed to respond to repeated orders to safely tear down the house and deal with the tunnels and hazardous waste.
Khafra's father said his son's friends told him the tunnels could be 100 feet long with huge chambers.
Daniel Beckwitt was injured in the fire, but was quickly released from the hospital. Neither he nor his lawyer have responded to phone calls seeking a response to the county's lawsuit.
