Tuesday, January 5, 2010

More threatening letters sent to UCI women


4 UCI women get threatening letters (OC Register)
The number of UC Irvine employees receiving envelopes containing a mysterious white powder and the words 'Black Death' rose to four late today, leading the university to wonder why it is being targeted and why all the letters were sent to women. ¶ All four letters came from Idaho, and the powder the envelopes contained has been examined and determined to be harmless, said Tom Vasich, a university spokesman. UCI will hand out plastic bags on Wednesday so that employees and students can quickly seal any suspicious looking mail they get.

The latest victim was Benedicte Shipley, an assistant dean in the School of Biological Sciences. She received a letter with the mysterious powder at 4:30 p.m., leading fire, hazmat, public health and law enforcement officials to return to campus….

On Monday, sociologist Cynthia Feliciano and chemical engineer Nancy Da Silva, received the first two menacing letters.

The first incident began about 11:30 a.m. on Monday when Feliciano opened a standard-sized envelope and discovered a small amount of an unidentified white substance…. That set off a chain reaction in which parts of two major buildings were evacuated, the structure's air and heating systems were turned off, health and safety workers were called in, the FBI began an investigation, and students and staff were told not to open mail that seemed unusual in nature.

The university says it does not know why either professor was targeted on the first day of the winter quarter. And it's unclear whether the UCI incident was related to the distribution of similar envelopes to lawmakers in Alabama. Experts determined that the powder in the Alabama letters was harmless.

Feliciano, who is married to UCI criminologist Geoff Ward, said on her Facebook page Monday afternoon that she ""is quarantined after opening an envelope containing some white powder and the word's 'Black Death.' Not a great start to the quarter.' " ¶ It's also unclear whether this is a prank related to the Feb. 26th release of the movie, "Black Death." The Internet Movie Database sums up the movie's plot by saying, "Set during the time of the first outbreak of bubonic plague in England, a young monk is tasked with learning the truth about reports of people being brought back to life in a small village."….
UPDATE: UCI gets 5th letter with mystery powder, OC Reg, 1/6/10

No comments:

Roy's obituary in LA Times and Register: "we were lucky to have you while we did"

  This ran in the Sunday December 24, 2023 edition of the Los Angeles Times and the Orange County Register : July 14, 1955 - November 20, 2...