UPDATE: Lawmaker confirms suspicious package contained a cancer causing pesticide
UPDATE 4/20: A spokesperson for the Missouri Department of Public Safety said that the lab analysis showed that the powder in the envelope may have been a pesticide sold over the counter to consumers for use in garden insect control.
UPDATE 5:15 pm: Chappelle-Nadal confirmed what the mysterious substance was:
{“url”:”https://twitter.com/MariaChappelleN/status/987087377796657153″,”author_name”:”MariaChappelleNadal”,”author_url”:”https://twitter.com/MariaChappelleN”,”html”:”&#lt;blockquote class=”twitter-tweet”&#gt;&#lt;p lang=”en” dir=”ltr”&#gt;A cancer causing pesticide was sent to my office. There is a full-blown investigation. Again, I remain thankful to our 1st responders and Senate staff for their diligence.&#lt;br&#gt;&#lt;br&#gt;Cowards don’t move me one bit!&#lt;a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/KeepTrying?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”&#gt;#KeepTrying&#lt;/a&#gt;&#lt;/p&#gt;– MariaChappelleNadal (@MariaChappelleN) &#lt;a href=”https://twitter.com/MariaChappelleN/status/987087377796657153?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”&#gt;April 19, 2018&#lt;/a&#gt;&#lt;/blockquote&#gt;n&#lt;script async src=”https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js” charset=”utf-8″&#gt;&#lt;/script&#gt;n”,”width”:550,”height”:null,”type”:”rich”,”cache_age”:”3153600000″,”provider_name”:”Twitter”,”provider_url”:”https://twitter.com”,”version”:”1.0″}
UPDATE 4:15 pm: According to a spokesperson for the Department of Public Safety, Capitol police received a call about the suspicious package around 9:30 Thursday morning.
The envelope had no postmark and contained a granular, green substance that was leaking out of it. It was delivered Wednesday night and made its way up to Chappelle Nadal’s office on the fourth floor Thursday morning.
Chappelle Nadal’s staff thought it seemed suspicious so they brought it down to the Senate Administration office on the third floor. The Capitol Police, the Jefferson City Fire Department and Cole County Hazardous Materials unit were called.
Eight people came in contact with the envelope, but they have all be checked and cleared.
Senate Administrator Patrick Baker said the powder didn’t dissolve in water, so that was a good sign.
Senator Chappelle Nadal’s individual mailbox is still sealed but the mailroom is open. The senator will be working out of a different office for now.
The US Postal Service has been notified and investigators are looking into the route this envelope traveled.
UPDATE 11:15 am: Investigators gave the green light for the Senate session to go on as scheduled and lawmakers will hold an administration hearing on the incident after they adjourn.
UPDATE 11:05 am: A spokesperson for the Missouri Senate said the envelope came in contact with several staff members.
Law enforcement believes that the substance poses no threat to the public but they are taking extreme caution with the situation and are working to ensure the State Capitol remains safe for all visitors.
Senate Majority Floor Leader Mike Kehoe and Senate President Pro Tem Ron Richard said, “”We wish to thank local first responders and members of law enforcement for their quick reaction to the issue. Early analysis indicates the substance is not harmful and does not present a threat to anyone in the building; however, we are extremely thankful that they continue to monitor the situation in order to guarantee our protection and safety.”
ORIGINAL STORY: Maria Chappell-Nadal, member of the Missouri General Assembly posted on her Twitter that her office received a suspicious threat.
Chappell-Nadal tweeted, “It came in the form of an envelope with a green substance. There’s currently a HAZMAT team investigating my office. One of the reasons I love fire fighters, they respond quickly. Always grateful to them!”
ABC 17 crews are heading to Jefferson City to learn more about the investigation.
Stay with this story for the latest information.
