The medical examiner has ruled that the 57-year-old man discovered dead and badly decomposed in his East Windsor home yesterday died of natural causes.
Police said the death of Russell Bickford, of 35 Stoughton Road in East Windsor, is no longer considered suspicious following the medical examiner's ruling.
They are, however, still investigating the unanswered questions of why countless explosives and a cache of firearms were discovered in Bickford's house. Police said many of the firearms were unregistered, and that only one was registered to Bickford.
Police were alerted of Bickford's death after a neighbor called authorities around 9:35 a.m. on Tuesday to report a smell coming from the first floor. Police said Bickford may have been dead in his home for up to three weeks.
The caller said he or she hadn't seen the neighbor in almost a month, according to police.
Officers entered the home and found Bickford's body, as well as several firearms, thousands of rounds of ammunition, grenades and black powder. The home was rigged with PVC piping and the grenades, according to police.
Police said the home's propane heating system was rigged up and considered dangerous.
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A State Police bomb squad was called in to remove the explosives from the home. It was later condemned and is now in probate, as Bickford has no next of kin to assume the property.
The second-floor renters were required to leave, police said.
Police said convicted felons had access to Bickford's home. It's not clear if they were at all involved in the situation, but police said it's a matter "of concern."
Authorities are actively investigating.
