Kriti Mehrotra
As a documentary examining the Amerithrax case that shook the entire nation back in the early 2000s, ‘The Anthrax Attacks: In the Shadow of 9/11’ can only be described as utterly captivating. That’s because this Netflix original utilizes not just first-hand accounts but also archival footage as well as re-creations to really get to the heart of the matter despite there being no clear answers. Among those to share their side of the story is thus none other than survivor Casey Chamberlain — so now, if you wish to learn more about her and her current standing, we’ve got you covered.
Who is Casey Chamberlain?
When Casey landed an apprenticeship on ‘NBC Nightly News’ in New York around the summer of 2001 as a 23-year-old, she could’ve never imagined her first year would be filled with sheer tragedy. The Executive Assistant essentially had the desk job of answering phones, opening mails, logging tapes, and whatever else needed doing, but she was in the newsroom on September 11 (9/11). She still remembers the emotional exhaustion of that fateful day, yet her world personally turned upside down a week later as she was opening the letters sent to veteran host Tom Brokaw.
“In this huge stack of mail, I saw this letter,” the University of Massachusetts- Amherst graduate (2000, with a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science as well as Communication) said in the production. “When I opened [it], I got chills all over… It said [in capitals], ’09-11-01. [This is next. Take Penacilin now]. Death to America. Death to Israel. Allah is great.’ Inside was what appeared to be, to me, it looked like a combination of brown sugar and sand. I took the substance, and I dumped it into the trash.” She also once admitted it “looked as if it were written by a child.”
Casey felt okay the whole day, but ten days later, she suddenly had a high fever, felt like something was literally running through her veins, and even her glands were excessively swollen. However, it wasn’t until reports of an anthrax attack came to light that she realized she’d been exposed through the strange letter, driving the authorities to put her into isolation for a week. “I must have had 50 vials of blood taken… and that added to my trauma and fear,” she penned for The Guardian in 2020. “I was given antibiotics for 100 days… I couldn’t sleep and became paranoid.”
Despite all this, Casey returned to work as soon as possible and then forced herself to open the mail again because she knew this simple process would undeniably help her recover — it did. The only facet she admittedly can never stop thinking about or feeling disheartened over is the fact the lead suspect, Bruce Edwards Ivins, will never face true justice in court.
Yet, the then-NBC News Assistant also feels a sense of ease. “Clearly, suicide is horrible and terrible,” she said in the Dan Krauss-directed original before adding, “but the fact that I knew this person who may have killed five people wasn’t alive anymore… is that a terrible thing to say? I was just somewhat relieved that he wasn’t around anymore. Sorry, God.”
Where is Casey Chamberlain Now?
From what we can tell, Casey Lea Chamberlain parted ways with NBC in 2007 to return to her home state of Massachusetts, where she continues to reside even today — around the Quincy area. She initially served as an Assistant for Managing Directors & Project Executives at Shawmut Design and Construction, just to then work as a part-time Private Home Health Aide, a hospital Staff Assistant, and a hospital Administrative Manager.
But now, the Anthrax Survivor, animal lover, US Senate Page Alum, as well as music, art, and motorcycle enthusiast, serves as the Executive Assistant to the CEO at Wingate Healthcare. We should mention Casey is a proud single mother to a beautiful young daughter.
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