Construction workers renovating a Falfurrias funeral home made a shocking discovery on January 2nd when they uncovered evidence of exploded pipe bombs inside the building.
Workers at Sanchez and Sons Funeral Home initially found burnt marks on the floor and walls, which they initially attributed to fireworks damage. However, when Falfurrias Police Chief William Barton arrived at the scene, he immediately recognized the signs of explosive devices.
"Through my training and experience I looked at it. And sure enough - you could see the way it was put together you could see the gun powder everywhere. And it was - in fact - a bomb that had already exploded," Barton said.
The funeral home has been under construction for nearly 10 months. Owner Lalo Sanchez was out of town when the discovery was made and said he was initially skeptical about the report.
"I thought it was a hoax or somebody playing a joke," Sanchez said.
The discovery has left the funeral home owner shaken and concerned about the implications for his community.
"This is something you hear somewhere else not here in Falfurrias. I don't know. I'm still in disbelief. It's scary. That somebody has that mentally here. That has that knowledge," Sanchez said.
Determining an exact timeline for when the explosives detonated has proven challenging for investigators, particularly given the prevalence of fireworks during the recent holiday season. However, testing conducted at the scene confirmed the presence of explosive materials.
"They tested everything on-site and everything tested positive for explosives. It was not fireworks or anything like that," Barton said.
The Falfurrias Police Department is working alongside the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Corpus Christi Bomb Squad in the ongoing investigation. The ATF has now taken over the case.
While the physical damage to the funeral home was minimal, the discovery has unsettled the local community. No arrests have been made at this time.
Authorities believe there is no ongoing threat to the community but are urging anyone with information about the incident to contact law enforcement immediately.
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