A squad car from the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department turned in the first report:
John O'Hara Smith, male, white, about 45; critically injured by explosion in house trailer; removed by ambulance to General Hospital; explosion occurred at....
Two days later, the Sheriffs Department apparently closed the case with a one-line addition to its original report:
Explosion believed to have been caused by leaking butane connection.
But, in the interval, other agencies had entered the case.
The first was the Industrial Security Office attached to the Western Division of the Air Force's Research and Development Command in the once suburban community of Inglewood, California.
When Chief Security Officer Amos Busch received a call at 11:32 the morning after the explosion, he automatically noted the time on his desk pad. The call was from Pacific Electronics, Inc., a subcontracting firm in nearby El Segundo.
The president and owner of Pacific Electronics was on the phone. In a tone that betrayed considerable agitation, he identified himself as Wesley Browne.
"One of my research engineers—my best engineer, dammit—was nearly killed last night in an explosion ... maybe he's dead now," reported Browne, his words breathlessly treading on each other. "There's something damn funny about this...."
Amos Busch wrote: Research engineer ... explosion ... nearly killed. Then he asked judicially: