Suspicious Envelope Sent To Children's Hospital Triggers Investigation

ORANGE COUNTY, CA — Children's Hospital of Orange County received a scare Friday when a large envelope containing an unknown substance was sent through the mail, but no one was hurt and evacuations were unnecessary.

The envelope addressed to the medical records department containing a "crystalline substance" was opened, prompting a call to authorities at 7:24 a.m., said Lt. Phil McMullin of the Orange Police Department.

A hazardous materials team responded along with the sheriff's bomb squad, but those first responders could not determine what the substance was, McMullin said. So the case has been turned over to the county's health care agency for further investigation, McMullin added.

No one was injured, though some people at the hospital had to be isolated for a time, McMullin said.