Body found at explosion site in Connecticut

Authorities found a body inside a North Haven, Connecticut, building Thursday morning hours after an explosion there during a police standoff injured nine officers.

North Haven Deputy Police Chief Jonathan Mulhern said a woman called the police Wednesday night to report that a man had held her hostage for several days at the house but she managed to escape. That prompted the police to respond and get into a standoff with the man.

A regional SWAT team and the barricaded man were in the standoff for hours as police tried to get him to surrender. Then an explosion rocked the property, Fox 61 reported. Residents told reporters that multiple explosions shook their homes.

Even after the initial explosion, officers were heard ordering a man named "John" to come out of the house and surrender, Fox 61 reported.

The owners of the property, Deborah and John Sayre, were going through a divorce, according to court records. Deborah Sayre filed for divorce on April 18 and checked a box for a line that said the marriage had "broken down irretrievably."

According to the Associated Press, she did not immediately return a phone message Thursday.

The officers' injuries were not considered life-threatening.

"They all did suffer injuries that were consistent with the blast," Deputy Chief Mulhern said. "This impacted not only the North Haven Police Department, not only our community, but this is a far reaching incident to the other communities that serve the south central region."

With the AP

With the Associated Press