Texas Woman, Would-Be Barack Obama Assassin, Busted Due To Pet Cat's Hair

A 46-year-old woman from Texas, who sent explosives to former President Barack Obama, Texas Gov. Gregg Abbott and former Acting Commissioner of Social Security Administration Carolyn Colvin, was identified and arrested by analyzing cat hairs found on the packages sent.

According to court records, Julia Poff from Houston, Texas, was indicted with a six-count indictment accusing her of mailing "injurious articles," "transportation of explosives with intent to kill and injure," "Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program fraud" and "false declaration in bankruptcy."

Poff pleaded not guilty to the charges in a detention hearing held on Nov. 16. The accused sent out packages containing explosives to Obama, Abbott, and Colvin, in October 2016, but none of them ultimately managed to cause anyone any physical harm.

Inside the package sent to Abbott, there was a smaller box inside the larger box containing smokeless powder typically used for the reloading of ammunition, the pyrotechnic powder used in fireworks and a hobby fuse, investigators who had been conducting a year-long investigation into the case testified in front of the court. The package was also fitted with a small plastic cap filled with a type of "lead shot" found in shotgun shells used for hunting.

"It means it's booby-trapped. It means that the victim that opens the package has to take certain action for it to detonate," the investigator added, local news outlet Click2Houston reported. It was also revealed that even though Abbott was the one who opened the package, it did not detonate. The investigators mentioned that this might have been because the package was incorrectly opened.

They also went on to emphasize that it could have been a different scenario had he opened it properly. "A very large flash that could induce severe burns and lots of severe injuries and possibly death," he said.

Apparently, Poff had a grudge against Abbott that dated back to the days he served as the attorney general of Texas. "She was upset that child support and/or the arrest of her ex-husband wasn't being conducted the way she thought it should be," he said.

After Poff was denied a third time for benefits, she also forwarded similar packages to the Social Security Administration and the White House. However, the other two packages never reached designated personnel because they were caught by security screeners beforehand.

Some of the evidence lifted off the packages that led the police to Poff were a particular brand of cigarettes, a USB cable box, debit card purchases, and even cat hair. Fruits of a feline's follicles were found on the package sent to Obama which was proven to be “microscopically consistent with the hair of one of Poff’s cats.”

One of the jobs that Poff had for several years was working at fireworks stand. Further searches of Poff's home lead to the discovery of latex gloves, fireworks and reloading equipment.

Poff is to remain in federal custody until her trial which is scheduled for January.