All the letters filled with sweeteners and sent to four state offices in Denver and Lakewood on Monday contained threats and were likely prepared by the same person, U.S. postal inspector Andrew Rivas said Tuesday.
“They all had the identical same threats verbatim in all four envelopes,” Rivas said.
Investigators believe whoever sent the letters mailed them from Denver, but an exact location was not disclosed.
Rivas also said that even if the letters were mailed from a certain location, that does not mean the person who sent the powdery envelopes is from the area.
Postal inspectors fanned out across state offices on Tuesday to make sure the mail was safe, Rivas said.
No new incidents occurred.
Sunday’s incident at UMB Bank in Denver, where several workers were forced to undergo decontamination, is not connected to the four letters sent Monday. In the bank case, the suspicious powder sent in capsule form turned out to be a vitamin supplement.
Monday’s letters contained sugar and sugar substitutes and forced employees to evacuate the state Department of Agriculture and State Patrol offices in Lakewood. In Denver, downtown buildings that house the Colorado Geological Survey, the state Department of Regulatory Agencies and the offices of international trade and minority business were also evacuated.
“While this was definitely a hoax, it is our job to find out who is responsible for these letters,” Rivas said. “Not only does it cause a lot of damage to business, but it takes agents off other cases because they have to investigate this case.”
Staff writer Felisa Cardona can be reached at 303-954-1219 or fcardona@denverpost.com.
