Bloodhounds May Have Found Anthrax Suspect

Oct. 22 -- The FBI is using an elite team of specially trained dogs and leads from agents deployed to Africa in its investigation of former government scientist Steven Hatfill and his possible role in the five anthrax deaths.

Authorities say they are building what is described as a "growing circumstantial evidence case." Their secret weapon has been a three-member team of bloodhounds from California: Tinkerbell from the South Pasadena Police Department, Knight from the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Office and Lucy from the Long Beach Police Department.

These bloodhounds — considered by the FBI to be the best in the country at what they do — were each given the scent extracted from anthrax letters posted last year and each, independently, then led handlers to the Maryland apartment of the same man — Steven Hatfill.

One of the bloodhounds, Lucy, then led handlers directly to Hatfill.

The dogs are regularly flown in for high-profile assignments, such as the serial sniper case terrorizing the Washington, D.C., area.

While he is not officially called a suspect, Hatfill is clearly the main focus of the FBI, even as he continues to deny any involvement.

"I have never, ever worked with anthrax in my life," Hatfill told reporters on Aug. 12.

Hatfill's apartment has been repeatedly searched, his blood samples tested and now the FBI is telling government officials, in a general way, it is making a great deal of progress.

"I think they're getting close," said Jerry Hauer, an expert on biological and chemical terrorism and director of public health preparedness at the Department of Health and Human Services. "I think at the end of the day, the FBI will find the person."

Hatfill continues to strongly deny any involvement in the anthrax murder and accuses the FBI of wrongly accusing him.

FBI Investigates Hatfill’s Background in Africa

The FBI reportedly has had success with two teams of agents sent to Africa to investigate whether Hatfill developed expertise with anthrax there in the late 1970s and 1980s, when he attended medical school in Rhodesia, now known as Zimbabwe. At the time Hatfill attended, the medical school was called the Godfrey Huggins school, but it is now called the University of Zimbabwe School of Medicine.