5th body located in Md. mansion fire; families remember 6 victims presumed dead

Another body has been pulled from the ruins of an Annapolis mansion that burned to the ground on Friday. That brings the total to five victims while one person remains missing.

It is believed a prominent couple and their four grandchildren died in the massive fire early Monday morning. The search is expected to resume on Saturday for the remaining victim.

The five bodies found have been taken to the medical examiner in Baltimore to be identified.

On Friday, people continued to stream by leaving flowers and stuffed animals just down the road from the house where police have it blocked off.

Eileen Pugh drove from Odenton to lay flowers outside the home. She had six yellow tulips -- one each for Sandy and Don Pyle -- and their four grandchildren -- Lexi, Katie, Wes and Charlotte.

"It hits your heart," Pugh said. "I just wanted to do something. I just thought six flowers you know. It's all you can do. But it's such a sad story."

She didn't know the family personally, but her son worked for Don Pyle and often spoke of him.

The Pyles were known as doting grandparents. The called them "Pop-Pop" and "Dee Dee."

A description released by the family said, "Don loved his family, especially his grandchildren, more than anything in the world." And that Sandy had "a special place in her heart for each grandchild."

The children were at their home known as the castle for a sleepover. Eight-year-old Charlotte and 6-year-old Wes were the children of Sandy's son, Clint. The family says Charlotte's "future dreams were to run an animal hospital" and her brother Wes "wanted to build robots."

Sandy's son, Randy, was the father of the other two children, 8-year-old Lexi and 7-year-old Katie. The family says Lexi "wanted to be a vet or on television … she was going to be famous" and Katie was "loving and thoughtful beyond her years."

Fire officials say there does not appear to be any sign of foul play or any indication the fire was suspicious.

"It's tragic no matter what," said Pugh. "You try not to picture it, but you think about the children, and I do, being scared."

Don Pyle was a successful tech entrepreneur and was chief operating officer at ScienceLogic in Reston, Va. In a blog post, the company said, "Don was widely known for his vivacious spirit, thirst for life, and love of family. A philanthropist, avid fisherman, and doting grandfather, Don found true happiness when doing for others and surrounded by people he loved."

Investigators and crews plan to return again on Saturday. Crews are focusing their search on areas where cadaver dogs got positive hits on Wednesday. They are not saying where the other bodies have been found. The investigation could take several more days.

Here is the full statement:

Quotes from the Boone Pyle Families – Biographical Descriptions of Family Members involved in fire at Annapolis/Childs Point home.

"Charlotte loved her family, horses, basketball, and swimming. Her friends from school held a special place in her heart. She had many wonderful adventures with her family. She was fun-loving, intelligent, and kind. She wanted to be known as a gamer with an epic love of Minecraft. Charlotte loved making videos with her guinea pig, Oreo. Charlotte's future dreams were to run an animal rescue."

"Wes loved his friends and family, Doctor Who, Legos, Minecraft, Plants vs Zombies, and swimming. Wes was sweet and loving and looked up to his older sister immensely. He loved all his friends and he especially looked forward to seeing his classmates at school every day.
He loved trips to the beach with his family. In his future, Wes wanted to build robots"

"Lexi loved her sister and new baby brother, her friends from school, field hockey, lacrosse, and ice skating. She was thoughtful, social, smart, and determined. She loved her dog Sophie. Her favorite adventures included trips with her parents, grandparents, and cousins. Lexi wanted to be a vet or on television when she grew up. She was going to be famous."

"Katie loved her family more than anything, especially her new brother. She was kind, compassionate, and loving. She enjoyed soccer, gymnastics, ice skating, and singing Taylor Swift songs. Katie's most recent adventures included her birthday party at the castle with the Raven's Cheerleaders and a trip to New York City. For only having just turned 7, she was loving and thoughtful beyond her years."

"Don loved his family, especially the grandchildren, more than anything in the world. They called him "Pop-Pop." He treated each friend as a special member of his family. He established long term friendships from high school through his business career. Don loved the Ravens, Orioles, and Delaware Blue Hens Lacrosse. His hobbies included fishing, golf, skiing, and entertaining family and friends. Don also cherished traveling with his wife."

"Sandy loved her family and had a special place in her heart for each grandchild. She was known to them as "Dee-Dee." She was extremely loyal to her friends, who were like her extended family. Her passions were numerous and included the Ravens, Orioles, the beach, and traveling. She was a one-of-a-kind original -- fun-loving, caring, and generous. She loved every animal, especially her rescue dogs, and contributed to numerous animal welfare groups. Sandy was incredibly sensitive to the needs of others and generous beyond words."