Posted on 06/10/2003 12:29:31 PM PDT by Shermy
FREDERICK - In a costly and unusual step in its hunt for the anthrax killer, the FBI began draining a 1-acre trout pond in a Frederick County forest yesterday, hoping to find discarded biological equipment or telltale anthrax spores on its muddy bottom.
The project, estimated to cost about $250,000 and take several weeks, began yesterday morning after a state biologist told investigators how to avoid trampling a rare yellow-fringed orchid and other endangered species in the area.
The search follows the discovery in the pond last winter of a plastic box that some investigators believe may have been used by the person who mailed anthrax-laced letters to news media organizations and U.S. senators in 2001. The attacks killed five and sickened at least 17.
The object appeared to be a homemade glove box, a biological safety device fitted with gloves to protect someone working with dangerous germs, though no gloves were attached. Anthrax tests on a rope also found in the pond have been inconclusive, according to a law enforcement official.
...One official who talks regularly to investigators said the task force is divided into one faction that believes Hatfill is still a promising suspect and another that is frustrated by the failure to find substantive evidence against him. "Even the ones who favor draining the pond aren't all that certain they'll find anything," the source said.
"When Steve heard the news this morning, he just chuckled and shook his head that they would waste all that money," said his spokesman, Pat Clawson. "They can search every pond in Maryland and drain the Pacific Ocean and they won't find evidence linking Steve Hatfill to the anthrax attacks, because there is no such evidence. On the other hand, if this will help further establish Steve's innocence, we welcome it." ...
(Excerpt) Read more at sunspot.net ...
Those of us who watch evening Court TV documentaries know the fascinating and almost incredible strides forensic science has made in the past decade.
Sometimes, against all odds, bulldog investigators hang with a case (even on their own time) for many, many years till they find one promising clue......one tiny clue they can turn over to the forensic laboratories for analysis.
The numbers of cases solved and convictions garnered through investigative tenacity hand-in-hand with forensic science is awesome.
I give credit to the investigators doggedly pursuing all leads in this case, no matter how silly or fruitless some of their probes may appear.
I give them credit for steadfastly continuing the investigation in the face of sneers, cynicism and skepticism.
If any of us had a loved one murdered by the Anthrax Killer, we would be applauding their diligence and praying they solve the case as soon as possible to bring the murderer(s) to well-deserved justice and Old Sparky.
Leni
But are they related to the box? And could "vials" be found in most any pond around there? For example, are they discarded cocaine/crack vials? Another local poster noted the pond was a "party" site.
We get pics of Hatfill, the anthrax letters, all for the public to help the search. How about pics of the "vials" and box?
Well said. I wonder if HF knows how many diehard fans he has here.
My problem with Hatfill linkage arising from that article - he talks about a different mode of delivery. And never explained: if the anthrax was developed in a process unknown in the US, how did Hatfill invent it? He has no expertise in grinding, silica, whatever. Why wouldn't he use an American process which by proximity he can be implied to have known?
I beg your pardon...the "glove box" was a significant find in the investigation. They also recovered glass vials and gloves wrapped in plastic. They are draining the pond for more evidence. This could clear Hatfill and lead to the real culprit, as well as prosecute him if the evidence found in the pond can be tied to him. According to this Washington Post story:
The FBI first focused on the pond, part of an area known as the Frederick watershed, after a business acquaintance of Steven Hatfill -- described as a "person of interest" in the investigation by Attorney General John D. Ashcroft -- revealed that Hatfill once described how he might dispose of equipment contaminated with deadly bacteria, according to the sources.
It is interesting to note that Hatfill lives only a few miles from the pond. I am not saying he did it, but based on the above info, he should not be ruled out either.
Not quite true...
FBI investigators who have tested a plastic box and other equipment recovered this winter from a pond near Frederick have received two conflicting assessments of whether the items are contaminated with anthrax bacteria, the deadly microbes used in the 2001 attacks that killed five people and sickened 13 others, according to government sources.One test result was positive for anthrax bacteria, but a second laboratory reported finding no trace of the deadly spores, according to investigators close to the case.
Also, why is this case being "prosecuted" in public? Every search is announced for full TV coverage.
I think it's political pressure, and the need to please Daschle and Leahy. The public "Get Hatfill" strategy started after Babs Rosenberg met the Senators' staffers and briefed them about Hatfill. Her "portrait" might have been quite convincing to them. Impressed, they pushed the Hatfill angle. (Naturally they were quite concerned about the attacks since they were targets.) The meeting with Rosenberg was probably prompted by the Senators' anger that headway in the investigation was not made.
I think that you have the sequence correct. Too bad that the FBI and the justice department has resorted to punishment first then try to see if the party is guilty.
Our assumptions about science may be too great - and that a vial found a year and a half (or five years, who knows?) would show no trace of anything (if it were open). Could have had anthrax, could have been crack. Could just be vials discarded by a naturalist of the water-survey people.
They have to pursue every lead until those leads are exhausted. I want whomever did this brought to justice.
I haven't asked her recently, but as late as a few months ago, my daughter's mail was *still* being irridated. Her mail had come through the Hamilton NJ facility.
How many stories have there been that a field test showed positive for Anthrax, the lab test showed otherwise? Numerous. Apparently the field test shows positive for a variety of germs in the Anthrax genus - many are common. The lab test checks for the anthrax species - as I understand it.
The description:
This Isolation Glove Box is designed to place an added barrier between you and any suspected contaminants, contained within an envelope or package, such as anthrax or small pox. This containment glove box's hermetically sealed interior and neoprene gloves provide the air tight atmosphere you desire when opening tainted mail and the neoprene gloves provide the greatest dexterity available while keeping your skin safe from contamination.They also found plastic gloves as well as the vials, see my link to the Washington Post story above.
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