Samuel Tony Bryant age 21 of Mechanicsville
UPDATE 10/19/2023: Samuel Tony Bryant, III age 21 of Mechanicsville was arrested on October 9th, 2023, and has been charged with Arson First and Second Degree, Malicious Burning 1st Degree, and Malicious destruction on property $1,000+ and is being held on a no bond status set by Judge Karen Christy Holt.
Bryant has a Competency hearing on October 24th, 2023.
On Sunday, September 3, 2023, at approximately 9:07 p.m., firefighters from Mechanicsville, Leonardtown, Hughesville, Hollywood, and Seventh District responded to the 41200 block of New Market Turner Road in Mechanicsville for a reported kitchen fire with subjects trapped.
Crews arrived on the scene to find a one-story single-family home with smoke showing.
Firefighters entered the structure to find multiple fires throughout the residence and began searching the entire residence. The crew completed a primary search that provided negative results. While searching, crews found an additional fires.
Senior Deputy State Fire Marshals McDowell, Decker and K9 Sky responded to investigate the incident.
Court documents state that upon their arrival, they met with Deputy Chief Fire Marshal Nelson who was on the scene in his capacity as a firefighter and stated they found 6 separate, independent points of origin/fires, with three being found on the first floor and three on the second floor.
Firefighters arrived to find frantic and distraught family members who stated they arrived home to find fire in the kitchen and believed Samuel Bryant was in the home and missing. Bryant was not found, and a missing person’s report was published the same night.
Deputies warned Fire Marshals that Bryant had mental health issues and is known to police with history of fighting them and carrying firearms.
An origin and cause examination were conducted beginning with the exterior of the structure and continuing inside the residence. The residence, a 2-story wood framed split-foyer with a lower level walk out door in the rear had no obvious indications, fire or smoke damage on the exterior.
The interior front door entrance had obvious small burn patterns on the living room floor with charred cloth and paper combustibles nearby. A second point of origin was in a second-floor bedroom which involved clothing and other ordinary combustibles with charring to a dresser. The third point of origin was in the kitchen, near a kitchen table was a 2 foot by 1 foot hole which was burned completely through the floor, subfloor, and complete burn through of the floor joist under the floor. An examination of the lower floor revealed a point of origin in the hallway outside a bedroom entrance with charring noted to the door, this fire involved cloth and paper material.
A fifth point of origin was in a second bedroom on the lower level with charring and remains of paper and other ordinary combustibles. A sixth point of origin was located near the lower exit door and contained contents from a trash bag which was located adjacent to the refrigerator, charring was noted to the fridge.
One small 1/2-gallon gas can was in a utility room near a downstairs bedroom. The can was noted to appear new, had no fixed spout attached and contained what appeared to be gasoline. DSFM Decker retrieved her Ignitable Liquid Detection (IGL) K9 Sky which alerted to the can and a point of origin near the second lower-level bedroom.
Interviews were conducted with the homeowner and her sister, as well as other family members.
They reported that Bryant was the only one home prior to the fire and that they have not been able to get in touch with him.
Family members believed he was in the wooded area nearby watching the situation. They reported that Bryant suffers from mental health issues and that he has been prescribed medication but refuses to take them.
While walking the residents through the structure after the scene exam was concluded, the homeowner noted packs of toilet paper and paper towels scattered around the floor in her room that she stated were not in her room prior to the fire. She also stated that when they arrived to find the fire in the kitchen, she walked around the house and into the lower level to her room and found that her locked bedroom door had been broken and contents of her room were scattered about. She also stated that the gas can located in the utility room did not belong inside the home and that it was not there when they left the house earlier.
St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Deputies initiated a missing person report on Bryant at the scene on September 3, 2023, at the insistence Bryant’s mother.
On September 4, 2023, deputies located Bryant walking down a nearby roadway and while in contact with Bryant, St. Mary’s County Deputies contacted the State Fire Marshal’s Officer and advised they located him. On September 9, 2023, the State Fire Marshal received a phone call on his office phone line from a female identifying herself as Bryant’s wife and advised that she was aware that her husband started a fire in a house in Mechanicsville.
On September 20, 2023, a Maryland State Fire Marshal conducted an interview with Mrs. Bryant who reported that she was lived in the house with Bryant until May 2023 before moving to her grandparent’s house. She reported that she stayed at the residence with Bryant for the three days prior to the fire to spend time with her son. She stated that the night before the fire, she got into a verbal disagreement with Bryant and decided to leave the following day. She stated the day of the fire she called her sister to come pick her up as everyone else in the home was leaving for a family barbeque and she did not want to be alone with Bryant after the argument the night before. She said that Bryant was upset that she was leaving and kept asking her to stay. She reported that the morning of the fire, he asked her for a lighter which she was hesitant to give him. She stated she did not know why he wanted a lighter as he did not smoke cigarettes but said he became aggressive, so she gave him the lighter.
She stated that when her sister arrived to pick her up, she started to walk out of the residence and noticed that Bryant had made a pile of paper and socks in the middle of the living room floor. She stated when she walked out Bryant came up from downstairs and walked out behind her trying to convince her to stay. She said she smelled smoke as she was walking out the door. Mrs. Bryant stated she then called Bryant’s mother and asked her to have Bryant’s younger brother come to the house because Bryant was mad that she was leaving, and she smelled something burning and didn’t want Bryant to burn the house down.
Mrs. Bryant reported that she left the house at approximately 5:30 p.m. and was notified of the fire by Bryant’s mother who told her the house was on fire and they believed Bryant was still inside the residence.
Mrs. Bryant reported that she and Bryant had been together for approximately 6 years and that when they get into arguments, Bryant would take her personal items outside and burn them.
UPDATE from the Maryland State Fire Marshal’s Office: The fire, which occurred on the inside of the single-family residence, remains under investigation at this time.
There were no injuries as a result of the fire and the occupants are being assisted by family and friends.
Anyone with any information regarding this incident is asked to contact the Office of the State Fire Marshal, Southern Regional Office, at 443-550-6831.
9/5/2023: On Sunday, September 3, 2023, at approximately 9:07 p.m., firefighters from Mechanicsville, Leonardtown, Hughesville, Hollywood, and Seventh District responded to the 41200 block of New Market Turner Road in Mechanicsville for a reported kitchen fire with subjects trapped.
Responding units were advised an adult male was possibly trapped inside the house.
Units arrived on the scene to find a one-story single-family home with smoke showing.
Nearby police officers responded to the scene due the reports of entrapment and entered the structure prior to the fire departments arrival to search for the victim.
Firefighters entered the structure to find a fire in the kitchen and started extinguishing the same while additional crews began searching the entire residence.
The crew completed a primary search that provided negative results. While searching, crews found an additional fire in a bedroom while beginning a secondary search which also had negative results.
A third search of the entire residence was completed, and no occupants were located. Crews extinguished the fire and all extensions in under 20 minutes.
The fire is being investigated by the Maryland State Fire Marshal’s Office.
All photos courtesy of the Mechanicsville VFD, and ScanMD.org
