AUSTIN (CBSDFW.COM/AP) – Authorities say a package that exploded inside of an Austin home on Monday, killing a teenager and wounding a woman, is believed to be linked to a deadly package sent to another home in Texas’ capital city earlier this month.
Austin police Chief Brian Manley said at a news conference that investigators believe the attacks are linked because in each case, the package bombs were left on the victims’ front doorsteps and not delivered by a mail service. He said the U.S. Postal Service doesn’t have a record of delivering a package to the Austin home where the explosion occurred Monday.
“Early this morning one of the residents went out front, and there was a package on the front doorstep,” said Manley. “They brought that package inside the residence and as they opened that package — both victims were in the kitchen — and the package exploded,” he said.
Manley said investigators believe the explosion is linked to a similar blast that killed a 39-year-old man on March 2. That explosion occurred about 12 miles north of Monday’s blast. Both explosions occurred in the early-morning hours.
Until the cases are cleared Chief Manley had a message for residents. “If you’ve received a package that you are not expecting that is not from someone that you expected to receive a package from, or for some reason gives you case for concern, then call 911.”
Back on March 2, according to the statesman.com, one man was killed from an explosion at a Northeast Austin home. The previous explosion happened shortly before 7 a.m. on Haverford Drive near an Elementary School, the fire department said.
In that explosion, Interim Austin Police Chief Brian Manley told the paper that authorities received several calls reporting the incident. The man died at the hospital from his injuries.
Police were investigating that incident as a suspicious death, but have now been reclassified it and are investigating it as a homicide.
Investigators don’t yet know the motive behind the bombings but Chief said, “We do know that both of the homes that were the recipients of these packages belonged to African Americans, so we cannot rule out that Hate Crime is at the core of this but we’re not saying that that’s the cause.”
Investigators haven’t released information about the device or possible suspects.
The FBI, ATF and U.S. Postal Service are all helping Austin police in the investigation.
(© Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)