Material Found at Biofem Was Tetanus Bacteria

Biological material found at Biofem Inc.’s Irvine headquarters contained tetanus bacteria, health officials said on Thursday.

Authorities found no evidence, though, that the material was intended for use in biological weapons or in any other way that might pose a public threat, said Dr. Mark B. Horton, Orange County public health officer.

Neither of the two types of bacteria, found at the company’s office in March, are on the national Centers for Disease Control’s list of bio-terrorism agents, he said.

Nor did they have any connection to Biofem research, said Michael Hamrell, a scientific consultant to the company.

“They would have to do with Dr. [Larry] Ford’s own activity,” Hamrell said. “He was storing [the material] without our knowledge. He was doing a lot of things without our knowledge.”

Hamrell said he did not know what kind of research Ford was involved with or why Ford would have stored the bacteria.

An ongoing probe began when a masked gunman tried to kill Ford’s business partner, Dr. James Patrick Riley, who was wounded in the face Feb. 28 as he arrived for work at his Irvine Spectrum office. Three days later, Ford fatally shot himself after police searched his home.

The search uncovered a cache of weapons and suspicious substances at Ford’s home, prompting investigators to evacuate about 200 people in the neighborhood until the materials could be removed. Police also found hazardous materials in an Irvine storage locker rented by Ford.

Los Angeles businessman Dino D’Saachs, 56, was charged with driving the gunman to and from the scene of the shooting. D’Saachs, a close friend of Ford’s for 20 years, has pleaded not guilty.