CICERO, Ill. (WLS) — Police have revealed new details in a deadly Cicero house explosion last month.
The video in the player above is from a previous report.
The Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office has identified the man found dead in the debris as 31-year-old Cicero resident Anthony Avila-Puebla. Cicero police have stated that Avila-Puebla is responsible for the explosion that occurred on Feb. 15 in the 2200 block of Central Avenue.
According to ABC7, the family of a newly-wed couple, whose home was destroyed in the explosion on the day of their wedding, has revealed that Avila-Puebla was a guest at the wedding and had gone missing during the ceremony.
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Avila-Puebla was reportedly in a relationship with another guest at the wedding who also resided at the Central Avenue home with the newlyweds, as confirmed by Cicero police.
“During the investigation, Detectives determined that Avila-Puebla had a relationship with a family member living at the residence where the explosion occurred,” a news release from Cicero police read in part. “While the family member attended a wedding, Avila-Puebla was seen on video parking his vehicle a half a block from the house, removing a 5-gallon jug, and entering the building. He was then seen exiting with the same jug empty, returning to his vehicle. He was observed on two additional occasions removing multiple jugs from his vehicle and entering the building. Shortly after, an explosion occurred, and Avila-Puebla was not seen exiting. A thorough investigation revealed that the jugs contained a flammable liquid, and Avila-Puebla was determined to be responsible for the explosion. The motive for the explosion remains unknown at this time, and the investigation is still ongoing.”
Tom Davis and Eleni Vrettos had just said “I do” when they say their phones started lighting up with calls that their house on Central Avenue was destroyed.
Officials said the explosion caused the neighboring building to catch fire, leaving a total of 11 families displaced.
Cicero police told ABC7 last month that one person was found dead at the home. Davis previously told ABC7 they did not know who that person was, but he has now been identified as Avila-Puebla.
Davis told ABC7 last month their six cats were at home at the time and they were missing.
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The couple said what now amounts to rubble was supposed to be the home they would start their new lives in.
“We were doing renovations on the house. We were going to make the bottom portion of it commercial and rent it out, perhaps as a storage unit while we lived up top,” Davis said.
As the community jumps into help, raising over $28,000 for the couple through a GoFundMe, Vrettos is grieving the very home she grew up in.
“The building belonged to my family for almost 40 years. Yeah, I grew up here, so I live, lived here, and I work in the community. And I mean, Cicero is all I really know,” Vrettos said.
Cicero police continue to investigate.
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