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Cops have no idea who’s sending package bombs to people in Austin

Police believe the bombings are connected and have not ruled out potential hate crimes

A series of delivery package explosions have Texas’ capital city on edge — and investigators have no idea who’s sending the bombs or why.

A teenage boy has died and a 75-year-old woman is in life-threatening condition in Austin, Texas, on Monday after packages delivered to their homes exploded. That makes three mail bombs just this month and police believe the explosions are connected.

The latest victim, a 75-year-old hispanic woman, picked up a package outside of her home around 12:30 p.m. Monday. This was just hours after a separate mail bomb in Austin killed a boy and wounded a woman in her 40s. The latest two bombs came 10 days after a 39-year-old Austin man was killed by a mail bomb left on his porch.

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There are no known suspects or motives.

Initially, Police said that investigators were looking into whether the exploding packages could be racially motivated. The first three victims, including the 39-year-old Austin man, were black. Police say they are not treating the explosions as hate crimes, but they are not ruling anything out.

Police are cautioning Austin residents about opening suspicious packages, which explode when opened or even moved.

“It’s not time to panic, but it is time to be vigilant,” said Police Chief Brian Manley. “If you see a suspicious package on yours or somebody else’s doorstep, let us know.”

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott is offering a reward of up to $15,000 for information that helps lead to an arrest of the bomber or bombers.

Cover image: Isaac Machado hides behind his hat against his mother Delores just outside the scene of an explosion. Police investigators are at the home where a 17-year-old boy was killed and a woman injured in a package bomb explosion in Austin, Texas, U.S., March 12, 2018. REUTERS/Sergio Flores