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On the Story

Anthrax Death in Connecticut A "Mystery"

Aired November 22, 2001 - 09:13   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Bioterrorism comes to rural America. An elderly Connecticut woman is dead, the victim of inhaled anthrax, and investigators are puzzled.

CNN's Michael Okwu is standing by in Oxford, Connecticut. He's going to tell us what's known about this mystery death. And mystery is the key word here, Michael, isn't it?

MICHAEL OKWU, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It sure is, Leon. And you know if it wasn't for the media here and the occasional police vehicle, and at least one team from the CDC that we saw travel up along this road, this would be a typically quiet Thanksgiving morning here in Oxford, Connecticut. But as it is, it is not.

Ninety-four-year-old Ottilie Lundgren died of inhalation anthrax yesterday, the fifth such fatality since tainted letters started turning up in the mail system last month. Her case has perplexed investigators, since she was not a postal worker, and had no apparent connection to government facilities or media outlets.

Yesterday, the FBI and other investigators sealed Lundgren's home and are apparently sensitive about letting the media any closer there this morning. They are operating under the premise that she may have been the victim of some cross-contamination, though, at this point, investigators say they have not seen any contaminated letters at her home.

One possibility investigators are considering is that she may have received a piece of contaminated mail from Washington, where several government offices and a large postal center have been contaminated. And they have been interviewing friends, relative and neighbors trying, essentially, to retrace her steps.

Now, at 94, this was not a woman who was very mobile, who traveled much outside of her weekly trip to her beauty salon. But at the same time, Leon, investigators are looking into the possibility that she may have cross paths with Kathy Nguyen, the 61-year-old hospital worker who died of inhalation anthrax, quite mysteriously as well, in New York last month -- Leon.

HARRIS: And that would raise even more questions. Michael, let me ask you, have you seen or talked to any of the neighbors out there? I'm kind of curious about what they might be thinking about all of this. OKWU: We have been kept quite some distance away from the neighbors this morning. We're about half a mile -- I should say actually about a quarter of a mile from her house. But yesterday, we did talk to some of the neighbors, and they all talked about what a wonderful woman this woman was. That she was very quiet and stayed close to her house. And that it was a mystery for them, because even though some people had raised the possibility that she might have gotten this anthrax naturally -- that is from some of the wildlife that is prevalent in these parts, they say that it is such a rare thing. And also because she never really left her house much, it really diminishes the possibility that that might be the way that she contracted it.

HARRIS: So they're not worried, then, about themselves getting it, or about whatever the source may be, escaping from her house into theirs? There's no concern about that at all?

OKWU: People were not very concerned about that. They're really more saddened about the fact that they had lost such a wonderful life. But I can tell you this: Hospital officials did tell us that when news of her death became public, that -- I shouldn't say about her death -- when news about the fact that she even had inhalation anthrax became public, they started receiving a lot more calls than they usually do about respiratory issues. But they don't suspect that anybody else has anthrax here -- Leon.

HARRIS: Well, that would be good news. Michael Okwu, thank you very much, and a happy Thanksgiving to you, buddy.

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