House Searched Following Ricin Incident

Authorities have identified the man suspected of producing the ricin discovered last week at a Las Vegas hotel, the New York Times reported (see GSN, Feb. 29).

Roger Von Bergendorff, 57, has been hospitalized in Las Vegas since Feb. 14 after he began suffering critical breathing difficulties.  His illness is suspected of being caused by exposure to the lethal toxin.

His cousin, Thomas Tholen, discovered the ricin Thursday when he went to retrieve Von Bergendorff’s belongings from the Extended Stay America hotel.  Material found in the hotel room included vials of ricin, several guns, a book on anarchy that included a ricin recipe, and castor beans, which are used in making the toxin, authorities said.

Investigators in full-body protective gear on Sunday searched Tholen’s house in Riverton, Utah, where Von Bergendorff had lived until fall 2007.  They also investigated spaces at a nearby storage facility.

Police searched Tholen’s hotel room in Las Vegas but found no suspect material.

“The long and short of it is that the search is continuing but it’s gotten slower due to the methods and efforts involved in conducting this kind of search,” said FBI spokesman Juan Becerra.

“The investigation continues,” he added, “but our primary focus right now is to determine if there is any kind of danger to the public here” (Steve Friess, New York Times, March 3).

Even 500 micrograms of ricin can be lethal to humans.  Authorities do not believe this incident is linked to terrorism, the Los Angeles Times reported (Ashley Powers, Los Angeles Times, March 3).

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention specialists yesterday joined the effort in Las Vegas to establish whether Von Bergendorff’s illness is related to ricin exposure, the New York Times reported.

“They’re going to be looking through the charts to see what they can determine,” said Jennifer Sizemore, a spokeswoman for the Southern Nevada Health District.  “As I understand it, after a certain period of time the ricin metabolizes, so make a clear determination on what is in the charts, what there is to look through, what samples may have been taken.”

Von Bergendorff, a graphic artist by trade, was a loner who spent more than a month searching his cousin’s neighborhood for a missing cat, residents said.

“He’s just a little bit different,” said neighborhood resident Pauline Dansie.  “He was so obsessed with this cat; it was really strange.  He didn’t really act like he wanted to be a friend.  I remember one time he put a cat trap out in our field, and he caught our neighbor’s cat.  We told him he had to give it back” (Friess, New York Times, March 3).

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