2601:46:580:3F00:60BD:F88E:F325:1247: /* Death */ Added necessary specificity, as per source

2025-04-21T04:55:50Z

Death: Added necessary specificity, as per source

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{{short description|American journalist}}
{{other people|Robert Stevens}}
{{Infobox person
| honorific_prefix =
| name = Robert K. Stevens
| honorific_suffix =
| image = Robert-Stevens.jpg
| alt =
| caption =
| native_name =
| native_name_lang =
| pronunciation =
| birth_name = 
| birth_date = June 20, 1938
| birth_place = [[United Kingdom]]
| baptised = 
| disappeared_date = 
| disappeared_place =
| disappeared_status =
| death_date = {{Death date and age|2001|10|05|1938|06|20}}
| death_place = [[Boca Raton, Florida]], U.S.
| death_cause = [[Pulmonary anthrax]]
| body_discovered =
| resting_place =
| resting_place_coordinates = 
| monuments =
| nationality = American
| other_names =
| citizenship = United States
| education =
| alma_mater =
| occupation = Photojournalist and photo editor
| years_active =
| era =
| employer = ''Sun''
| organization = American Media
| agent = 
| known_for = First killed in the 2001 anthrax attacks
| notable_works = 
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| children = 3
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| website = 
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| spouse = Maureen Stevens
| partner = 
}}
'''Robert K.''' "'''Bob'''" '''Stevens''' (June 20, 1938 – October 5, 2001) was a British-born American photojournalist for the ''[[Sun (supermarket tabloid)|Sun]]'', a subsidiary of [[American Media (publisher)|American Media]], located in [[Boca Raton]], [[Florida]], [[United States]]. He was the first journalist killed in the [[2001 anthrax attacks]] when letters containing anthrax were mailed to multiple media outlets in the United States. The anthrax attacks also killed four others in the United States and sickened seventeen others.<ref name="theguardian">{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2008/aug/06/anthrax.usa|title=US authorities say deceased scientist responsible for anthrax attacks|author=Daniel Nasaw|work=The Guardian (UK)|date=6 August 2008 |url-status=live|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20170829033429/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2008/aug/06/anthrax.usa|archivedate=2017-08-29}}</ref>

== Personal ==
Robert Stevens was born in Britain,<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/1580146.stm |title=BBC News | AMERICAS | Anthrax victim dies in Florida |date=5 October 2001 |accessdate=2016-04-25 |url-status=live |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20160601051030/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/1580146.stm |archivedate=2016-06-01 }}</ref> but he resided in [[Lantana, Florida]], with his wife Maureen Stevens, also from Britain.<ref name="theguardian" /><ref name=bbc>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/7547823.stm|title=BBC NEWS - Americas - Anthrax victim's widow speaks out|date=7 August 2008 |publisher=BBC News|url-status=live|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20160601041810/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/7547823.stm|archivedate=2016-06-01}}</ref><ref name=abcnews>{{cite web|url=https://abcnews.go.com/Health/story?id=117206&page=1|title=Fla. Man Hospitalized With Anthrax|author=ABC News|work=ABC News|url-status=live|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20160425223207/https://abcnews.go.com/Health/story?id=117206&page=1|archivedate=2016-04-25}}</ref> Stevens and his wife had three children, Nicholas Stevens, Heidi Hogan, and Casey Tozzi.<ref name="bbc" /><ref name=nytimes>{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/30/us/anthrax-victims-family-to-receive-2-5-million-in-settlement.html|title=U.S. Settles Suit Over Anthrax Attacks|date=30 November 2011|work=New York Times|url-status=live|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20161109132851/http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/30/us/anthrax-victims-family-to-receive-2-5-million-in-settlement.html|archivedate=9 November 2016}}</ref> Many people described Stevens as a person who loved to spend time outdoors.<ref name="abcnews" />

== Career ==
Robert Stevens was a newspaper photo editor for ''Sun'', owned by American Media, until he was hospitalized on October 2, 2001.<ref name="bbc" /><ref name=postalmuseumblog>{{cite web|url=http://postalmuseumblog.si.edu/2011/10/anthrax-mail-1.html|title=The Anthrax Mail Attack|work=National Postal Museum|url-status=live|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20160425050525/http://postalmuseumblog.si.edu/2011/10/anthrax-mail-1.html|archivedate=2016-04-25}}</ref> American Media published many different tabloids including the ''[[National Enquirer]]'' and the ''Sun.''<ref name=sunsentinel>{{cite web|url=http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/2010-02-19/news/fl-anthrax-case-closed-20100219_1_dr-bruce-ivins-anthrax-mailer-fort-detrick|title=Feds formally close book on 2001 anthrax attack that killed Boca Raton photo editor|work=Sun-Sentinel Tribune|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160603121420/http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/2010-02-19/news/fl-anthrax-case-closed-20100219_1_dr-bruce-ivins-anthrax-mailer-fort-detrick|archive-date=2016-06-03}}</ref><ref name=cnn2>{{cite web|url=http://www.cnn.com/2011/11/29/justice/us-anthrax-settlement/|title=Family of 2001 anthrax victim settles with government|author=Terry Frieden, CNN|date=29 November 2011|work=CNN|url-status=live|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20160504134523/http://www.cnn.com/2011/11/29/justice/us-anthrax-settlement|archivedate=4 May 2016}}</ref> Many of the publications that Stevens worked on made claims that [[Elvis Presley|Elvis]] was not dead or that celebrities were pregnant with Martians.<ref name=cfr>{{cite web|url=http://www.cfr.org/public-health-threats-and-pandemics/ten-years-ago-today-anthrax-nightmare-unfolded-globalized/p26111|title=Ten Years Ago Today the Anthrax Nightmare Unfolded, and Globalized|work=Council on Foreign Relations|url-status=live|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20141006185045/http://www.cfr.org/public-health-threats-and-pandemics/ten-years-ago-today-anthrax-nightmare-unfolded-globalized/p26111|archivedate=2014-10-06}}</ref>

== Death ==
{{Location map+|Florida| width = 280
| float = left
|caption= Boca Raton is located within Florida and shown relative to the capital city Tallahassee and Miami.
|alt = Boca Rotan is located in the state of Florida.
|AlternativeMap =
|places=
{{Location map~ | Florida
| lat_deg = 30 | lat_min = 26 | lat_sec = 17.7212 | lat_dir = N
| lon_deg = 84 | lon_min = 16 | lon_sec = 50.6384 | lon_dir = W
|position=left
|background=#FFFFFF
|label=Tallahassee
}}
{{Location map~ | Florida
| lat_deg = 30 | lat_min = 26 | lat_sec = 17.7212 | lat_dir = N
| lon_deg = 84 | lon_min = 16 | lon_sec = 50.6384 | lon_dir = W
|position=left
|background=#FFFFFF
|label=Tallahassee
}}
{{Location map~ | Florida
| lat_deg = 25 | lat_min = 46 | lat_sec = 27.3565 | lat_dir = N
| lon_deg = 80 | lon_min = 11 | lon_sec = 37.172 | lon_dir = W
|position=left
|background=#FFFFFF
|label=Miami
}}
{{Location map~ | Florida
| lat_deg = 26 | lat_min = 21 | lat_sec = 31.2786 | lat_dir = N
| lon_deg = 80 | lon_min = 4 | lon_sec = 59.1542 | lon_dir = W
|position=left
|background=#FFFFFF
|label=Boca Raton
}}
| position = left
}}In early October 2001, letters which contained anthrax were mailed to multiple locations across the United States. After a recent visit to North Carolina, Robert Stevens reported having symptoms similar to the flu.<ref name="abcnews" /> When he was first hospitalized, doctors believed he had developed meningitis. After the doctors completed further testing, it was discovered that he had developed pulmonary anthrax.<ref name="abcnews" /> This had also already been confirmed by the [[Centers for Disease Control and Prevention|Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)]].<ref name="cfr" /> Stevens died on October 5, 2001, making his death the first fatality from anthrax in the US in 25 years.<ref name=npr>{{cite web|url=https://www.npr.org/2011/02/15/93170200/timeline-how-the-anthrax-terror-unfolded|title=Timeline: How The Anthrax Terror Unfolded|date=15 February 2011|work=NPR.org|url-status=live|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20161226203612/http://www.npr.org/2011/02/15/93170200/timeline-how-the-anthrax-terror-unfolded|archivedate=26 December 2016}}</ref> After an investigation was conducted by the FBI, it was revealed that Stevens had come into contact with anthrax through the letter that was mailed to him at American Media in Boca Raton, Florida.<ref name="nytimes" />

Stevens was the first person killed in these attacks.<ref name="bbc" /> In addition to killing Stevens, the anthrax killed two postal workers in Washington, a hospital worker in New York, and a 94-year-old woman from Connecticut, and it caused seventeen other people to become sick.<ref name=cnn1>{{cite web|url=http://www.cnn.com/2010/CRIME/02/19/fbi.anthrax.report/|title=FBI concludes investigation into 2001 anthrax mailings|publisher=CNN|url-status=live|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20160426153046/http://www.cnn.com/2010/CRIME/02/19/fbi.anthrax.report/|archivedate=2016-04-26}}</ref> In addition, an envelope containing anthrax was opened in what was once the office of Senate Majority Leader [[Tom Daschle]]. As a result, the [[United States House of Representatives|House of Representatives]] was closed down.<ref name="cfr" />

===Investigation===
{{See also|2001 anthrax attacks#Investigation}}

During their investigation, the [[Federal Bureau of Investigation|FBI]] concluded that [[Bruce Edwards Ivins]], a [[microbiologist]] for the [[United States Army]], had mailed the deadly letters.<ref name="sunsentinel"/> The FBI obtained some of the anthrax spores and analyzed them. After analyzing the spores, the FBI traced the spores to a military lab located at Fort Detrick, Maryland.<ref name="theguardian"/> Ivins quickly became a suspect in the investigation. The FBI began to suspect Ivins when they noticed he had logged in many late-night hours right before the attacks.<ref name=washingtonpost>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/02/19/AR2010021902369.html|title=FBI investigation of 2001 anthrax attacks concluded; U.S. releases details|newspaper=Washington Post|url-status=live|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20121110193628/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/02/19/AR2010021902369.html|archivedate=2012-11-10}}</ref> He was questioned in March 2005 about the attacks, but he could not provide a valid reason why he had worked late those nights. In addition to this, Ivins had sent out several emails in which he discussed his mental state and treatment.<ref name="theguardian"/> In 2008 Ivins killed himself just as the FBI was preparing to arrest him.<ref name="cnn2"/><ref name="cnn1"/> Leading up to his death, Ivins had been hospitalized for psychiatric evaluation after threatening to kill people he worked with, investigators of the anthrax attacks, and many other people who had supposedly wronged him.<ref name="cnn1"/>

===Lawsuit===
[[File:DowntownBocaRaton.JPG|thumb|right|Boca Raton, Florida, is where Robert Stevens worked before his death.]]
Maureen Stevens, wife of Robert Stevens, filed a [[US dollar|US]] $50 million lawsuit in 2003 against the government of the United States.<ref name=cbslocal>{{cite web|url=http://miami.cbslocal.com/2011/10/30/widow-us-reach-settlement-deal-in-florida-anthrax-death/|title=Widow, US Reach Settlement Deal In Florida Anthrax Death|date=30 October 2011 |publisher=CBS Miami|url-status=live|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20160514052631/http://miami.cbslocal.com/2011/10/30/widow-us-reach-settlement-deal-in-florida-anthrax-death/|archivedate=2016-05-14}}</ref> In the lawsuit, Maureen Stevens claimed "that the government was negligent in failing to stop someone from working at an Army infectious disease lab from creating weapons-grade anthrax used in letters that killed five people and sickened 17 others."<ref name="cbslocal" /> Ten years after filing the lawsuit, Maureen Stevens settled with the United States government for US$2.5 million. After Maureen and her lawyer settled with the government, Maureen's lawyer said, "Justice has been served."<ref name=palmbeachpost>{{cite web|url=http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/news/lantana-anthrax-widow-settles-50-million-lawsuit-a/nLzF6/|title=Lantana anthrax widow settles $50 million lawsuit against federal|publisher=Palm Beach Post|url-status=live|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20141006102423/http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/news/lantana-anthrax-widow-settles-50-million-lawsuit-a/nLzF6/|archivedate=2014-10-06}}</ref><ref name=huffingtonpost>{{cite web|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/huff-wires/20111129/us-anthrax-death/|title=US To Pay $2.5M In Photo Editor Robert Stevens' Anthrax Death|date=29 November 2011|work=The Huffington Post|url-status=live|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20160804192441/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/huff-wires/20111129/us-anthrax-death/|archivedate=4 August 2016}}</ref>

== Context ==
The anthrax mailings that killed five people and sickened seventeen others came right after the [[September 11 attacks|September 11 terrorist attacks]]. Because they came immediately following 9/11, investigators believed that [[Al-Qaeda|Al Qaeda]] was also somehow responsible for the anthrax attacks — only this time, they were using [[Biological warfare|biological weapons]].<ref name="theguardian" /><ref name="nytimes" /> However, it was soon discovered that the strain of anthrax used was connected to a military research laboratory in Maryland.<ref name="theguardian" />

== Impact ==
Robert Stevens was the first anthrax victim to be killed in 25 years.<ref name="npr" /> The type of anthrax with which he was killed was rare and lethal. During the investigation, the FBI shut down the offices in which Stevens was employed to collect evidence of anthrax.<ref name=usatoday>{{cite web|url=http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/attack/2001/10/10/anthrax.htm#more|title=USATODAY.com - Investigators hunt for source of rare anthrax|publisher=Usa Today|access-date=2016-04-25|archive-date=2016-08-15|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160815230609/http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/attack/2001/10/10/anthrax.htm#more|url-status=live}}</ref> Another thing that makes the death of Robert Stevens important is that at the time it was very rare for anthrax to be in the form of white powder.<ref name="usatoday" /> At the time experts believed that anthrax could be found in the soil, in sheep, in cattle, and in horses.<ref name="abcnews" /><ref name="postalmuseumblog" /> The machines used to process mail as it came through the system caused anthrax spores to go into the air. Then, by cleaning those same machines, the anthrax spores spread even farther and onto other mail causing twenty two other people to become sick; two of whom died due to the exposure in the sorting office.<ref name="postalmuseumblog" />

== Reactions ==
The main reaction to these events was fear that the deaths were the work of terrorists in the United States only a few weeks after the September 11 attacks, and the United States Postal System also became fearful as the letters containing anthrax were mailed through the postal service.<ref name="theguardian" /> Because of this fear, online sales of [[ciprofloxacin]], an antibiotic used to treat anthrax, drastically went up. People purchasing the antibiotic were paying more than ten times the normal cost of the drug.<ref name="cfr" />

==See also==
*[[List of journalists killed in the United States]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Stevens, Robert}}

[[Category:1938 births]]
[[Category:2001 deaths]]
[[Category:2001 anthrax attacks]]
[[Category:American terrorism victims]]
[[Category:Deaths from anthrax]]
[[Category:Infectious disease deaths in Florida]]
[[Category:Journalists killed in the United States]]
[[Category:Terrorism deaths in Florida]]
[[Category:People from Lantana, Florida]]
[[Category:British expatriates in the United States]]
[[Category:20th-century British journalists]]
[[Category:2001 murders in the United States]]

Death of Robert Stevens - Revision history

2601:46:580:3F00:60BD:F88E:F325:1247: /* Death */ Added necessary specificity, as per source