White powder in an envelope leads to evacuation of Department of Corrections Central Office

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)

The Department of Corrections Central Office in Jefferson City was evacuated at 10:45 a.m. Monday after an employee opened an envelope received in the mail and found that it contained an unknown white powder substance.

Officials report the Employee Health and Safety team members responded to the scene before containing and cleaning the contaminated area. The safety team also isolated and monitored the staff member and evacuated the affected part of the building while also alerting local emergency services.

In a release, Karen Pojmann, communications director for the Department of Corrections, reports test results came back at 2 p.m. and confirmed that the powder substance was acetaminophen.

Employees were permitted to re-enter the building.

Pojmann says the staff member who opened the letter is not the person to whom the letter was addressed.

An investigation is underway both internally and through local law enforcement.