PRESQUE ISLE, Maine — A Presque Isle man whose death led police to discover a pipe bomb at his apartment this summer died of an accidental overdose.
William Anderson was found dead by Presque Isle police officers on Aug. 18 at his home at 17 Parsons St. While investigating the death, police discovered the pipe bomb in the apartment.
The discovery closed streets in the area for several hours. Neighbors reported they did not know Anderson, and police said he was apparently working in the area. Information on the cause of death was delayed while state officials sought to notify Anderson’s relatives and the medical examiner completed an investigation.
Anderson’s death was caused by the combined toxic effects of alcohol, the antihistamine diphenhydramine and fentanyl, Lindsey Chasteen, administrator at the medical examiner’s office in Augusta, said Wednesday.
The death was determined to be an accident, Chasteen said.
On discovering the bomb, local law enforcement called in the Maine State Police bomb squad, which detonated the device safely.
At that time, police turned the death over to the state medical examiner’s office while the Maine Fire Marshal’s Office looked into the bomb itself. The bomb appeared to be unrelated to the death, police said.
Days after the incident, Fire Marshal personnel determined the device was handmade and belonged to the man who had died, said Shannon Moss, spokesperson for the Maine Department of Public Safety.
The Fire Marshal’s Office has reported no further information on the explosive, Moss said Tuesday.
State officials interviewed friends and family of Anderson and determined he had no specific plans to set off the bomb, Presque Isle Police Chief Laurie Kelly said.
