On November 16 , 2001 , 94 year-old Ottilie Lundgren , of Oxford , was brought to Griffin Hospital in Derby experiencing difficulty breathing and cold-like symptoms . Based on Lundgren 's symptoms and her rapidly deteriorating condition , doctors suspected and began testing for anthrax . A response was made to the hospital from the Federal Bureau of Investigation , Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , Connecticut State Police , Connecticut State Health Department , and Derby Fire Department HAZ-MAT team . The test was confirmed and treatment began , however it was unsuccessful and Lundgren died on November 22 , 2001 , making her the fifth and final victim of the 2001 anthrax attacks . Derby and Griffin Hospital made worldwide news for days following the incident and most major news outlets provided 24-hour news coverage for updates on Lundgren 's condition . Investigators thought that the anthrax was delivered in a letter via the United States Postal Service to her home in Oxford , however no suspicious letters were found , and the exact route of exposure was never determined . Post Offices in Seymour and Wallingford were investigated , as they were the only two post offices that sent mail to Lundgren 's home , however both facilities were determined to be clean . Lundgren 's home in Oxford was also quarantined and searched by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Connecticut State Police , however nothing was found that indicated how Lundgren had been exposed . In 2008 , following a lengthy investigation that repeatedly came up empty , the FBI 's primary suspect was Bruce Edwards Ivins , an American microbiologist , vaccinologist , and senior biodefense researcher at the United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases ( USAMRIID ) at Fort Detrick , Maryland . However , Irvins took his own life shortly after the FBI named him as the primary suspect , no formal charges or direct evidence has been found to substantiate these accusations . In 2010 , the FBI closed the investigation into the attacks
2001 anthrax attacks
2001 anthrax attacks
Derby, Connecticut