There are corners of a neighborhood where the ordinary hum of life — the sound of someone sweeping a porch, a child chasing a loose leaf across a lawn — speaks of quiet days and simple rhythms. In one such corner of northeast Las Vegas, however, a story emerged that felt less like routine and more like the sudden whisper of an unexpected storm, unsettling in its arrival and curious in its details. A house cleaner, going about her work much like any other day, stumbled upon something that seemed out of place in a quiet residential street — and in the days that followed, she and others reported illness that they tied to what they saw.
Kelly, a cleaning employee who worked at a home rented out through short-term rental platforms, told police that she first noticed something unusual in the house’s garage back in April 2025. Normally locked, the garage door was once left open, revealing what she described as an assortment of laboratory-like equipment: refrigerators and freezers, glass beakers with reddish liquid, a biological safety cabinet, and what she believed to be a centrifuge. The air, she said, smelled “like a hospital — not like a clean hospital but more of a foul, stale, stagnant air smell” that clung to the space. These impressions were detailed in a police investigation released in connection with a raid that took place in late January 2026.
What followed in Kelly’s account was troubling: both she and a handyman working for the property manager said they became “deathly ill” after entering that garage. Kelly described symptoms including breathing difficulty, fatigue, muscle aches, and days when she “could not get out of bed.” She also told authorities that others who had lived in the home experienced sickness, and one woman was hospitalized with severe respiratory issues, according to the report.
The house in question sits on Sugar Springs Drive, and according to law enforcement updates, it became the focus of a coordinated response by the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department and the FBI. Hazmat teams, SWAT officers, and federal investigators executed search warrants at the property and a nearby residence over a weekend in early February, carefully removing more than 1,000 items — including unknown liquids and possible biological materials — for secure testing at a specialized laboratory. Officials have said there is no known public threat at this time as they continue to determine what exactly was present.
Ori Solomon, 55, identified as the property manager for the outlying homes, was arrested in connection with the investigation. Alongside local charges related to the disposal and discharge of hazardous waste in an unauthorized way, federal agents noted he was in possession of firearms despite being a prohibited person. Investigators have also pointed to links between the equipment and materials found in this case and a previous federal investigation into an illegal biological lab uncovered in Reedley, California, in 2023 — though the status of any direct connections is still under review.
Residents near the house watched as police vehicles and multi-agency teams worked methodically in and around the neighborhood, their presence a remarkable contrast to the otherwise tranquil street. Some have felt concern about their health and safety; others have sought reassurance from officials that appropriate precautions were taken to secure potential hazards and prevent risk to neighbors. So far, authorities emphasize that testing of the samples transported to secure facilities will take time, even as investigators strive for clarity on materials, intent, and any broader implications.
In simple terms, police and federal investigators are continuing an inquiry into a suspected illegal biological laboratory found in the garage of a Las Vegas residence, after multiple people — including a house cleaner and a handyman — reported falling ill following exposure to the garage area. The property manager has been arrested on related charges, and over 1,000 potential samples and materials have been sent to a secure lab for analysis. Officials say there is no current public threat and that work is ongoing to fully understand the scope and nature of what was discovered.
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Sources (news media names only): • ABC News • Las Vegas Review-Journal • FOX5 Vegas • AP News • News3LV