Friends and family took to Facebook to share their condolences and deep sadness for the passing of a man who was found dead in his Leland home — along with explosive devices.
At approximately 1:43 a.m. Friday, Leland officers were dispatched to 1207 Regalia Lane. Officers and members of Leland Fire and Rescue found potential explosive devices and hazardous materials when they arrived at the home, according to a Leland police news release on Friday evening.
Leland Police Department officers discovered potential explosives and a dead body after dispatched to a Leland home in reference to a death investigation.
Brunswick County property records and a neighbor confirmed the owner of the home is Keith Napolitano.
One of Napolitano’s Facebook friends confirmed in a post he was previously in the military, a career he loved, and “most of all he loved his kids.”
Another Facebook friend said he was a “legend for sure.”
As of 11 a.m. on Monday, Leland Police Department Public Information Officer Lt. Dallas Warren said the deceased person hasn’t had an autopsy completed yet.
“We plan on releasing additional information once that’s been done,” Warren said.
Any 911 calls pertaining to the address also haven’t been released yet when requested from the Leland Police Department on Saturday and Monday morning.
A neighbor said he has seen police “staking out” for a while in the surrounding areas of the home. The neighbor also said they noticed “suspicious” activity with packages coming in and out often and not by a marked delivery company such as FedEx or UPS.
“We heard a big boom around 5 a.m. when I guess police detonated an explosive device,” the neighbor said.
The news release said “a loud noise” may have been reported by some neighboring homes, which was the sound of the device being rendered safe by the sheriff’s office explosive unit and there is no active threat to the community or public safety in general.
The New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office Explosive Ordnance Disposal Unit also responded to the scene on Friday and provided a device safe.
Crews from Military Ocean Terminal Sunny Point’s Hazardous Materials Team responded as well and conducted a removal and disposal of all hazardous materials at the scene.
Leland police is working with the N.C. State Bureau of Investigation and The Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms in regards to the ongoing investigation.
If anyone has any information regarding this investigation, call the Leland Police Department at 910-371-1100.
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