Two FBI profilers have left Maine as police gather “helpful” information.
NEW SWEDEN (AP) -After taking a day off for Mother’s Day, detectives were back at work Monday trying to get to the bottom of last month’s arsenic poisonings at a church that killed one parishioner and sickened 15 others.
“I see this week as as a week of continued investigation by our detectives and there are no developments expected today,” said Stephen McCausland, spokesman for the state Public Safety Department.
Conditions of hospital patients who drank arsenic-laced coffee continued to improve. Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor said one of the seven being treated there has been discharged, five were in fair condition and one remained in serious condition.
The last of the eight who went to Cary Medical Center also has been sent home, the Caribou hospital said.
A few more of the 50 members of the Gustaf Adolph Evangelical Lutheral Church provided fingerprint and DNA samples sought by Maine State Police, bringing the number who have done to so about 40, McCausland said. He said he knew of no one who has refused.
Two FBI profilers who were asked to assist in the investigation left Maine on Sunday.
“We expect to hear from them and we know where they are if we need further consultations,” McCausland said.
McCausland said the profilers have already provided “helpful” information, but did not go into specifics.
The principal question facing detectives is whether church member Daniel Bondeson acted alone in poisoning coffee consumed at a gathering that followed the Sunday service April 27 or if anyone else was involved.
Bondeson, 53, shot himself to death in his farmhouse five days later and police said a note was found at the scene.
McCausland pointed out that a suicide note in Maine is confidential by statute and remains within the jurisdiction of the state medical examiner’s office.
“Although we have paraphrased contents in the past, in this case obviously we have not disclosed what it in it and do not plan to, at least in the immediate future,” he said.
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