Bruce Ivins

Serial Killer

Bruce Ivins and the 2001 Anthrax Attacks

Background

Bruce Edwards Ivins was a senior microbiologist at the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID) in Fort Detrick, Maryland. For decades, he worked on anthrax vaccines and biodefense. In 2001, following the September 11 terrorist attacks, a series of anthrax-laced letters were mailed to media outlets and U.S. senators. These attacks killed five people, sickened seventeen others, and caused widespread panic across the nation.

The Attacks

Between September and October 2001, letters containing anthrax spores were mailed from Trenton, New Jersey. The first wave targeted media companies, and the second wave targeted U.S. Senators. The powder inside the envelopes was highly refined anthrax, which investigators later traced to Ivins’ laboratory. The attacks forced thousands into preventative antibiotic treatments and led to the evacuation and decontamination of multiple buildings.

Victims

The anthrax attacks resulted in the deaths of five individuals and illnesses in many others. The confirmed fatalities were:

• Robert Stevens – Died on October 5, 2001, in Florida. He was a photo editor at American Media Inc.
• Thomas Morris Jr. – A postal worker in Washington, D.C., died on October 21, 2001.
• Joseph Curseen – Another postal worker in Washington, D.C., died on October 22, 2001.
• Kathleen “Kathy” Nguyen – A hospital worker in New York City, died on October 31, 2001.
• Ottilie Lundgren – A 94-year-old woman in Oxford, Connecticut, died on November 21, 2001.

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Confirmed Victims: (5)

Robert Stevens Age: (63), Date of Death: 2001-10-05

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