Mysterious substance sickens 4 at HPD substation in SE Houston

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- The police station and court building are closed while they're investigated by HazMat, because two women brought in a trash bag containing an item with a mysterious substance inside.

What we know so far from police is that the two women were coming in to meet with their family violence investigator over inheritance issues surrounding a house in southeast Houston.

Because of those family inheritance disputes, the women said an unknown family member had been sprinkling the substance on random items around the inheritance house, and that the substance burned their eyes and throat. So they brought in a mattress cover they suspected was covered in the substance for police to investigate.

An officer opened up the bag and unfortunately, afterward, the officer and another employee who was also in the room suffered the same burning eyes and throat issues along with bloody noses. Police say all four people are going through the decontamination process.

On top of that, three more employees who were close by developed itchy skin and also had to be taken to decontamination.

Houston police spokesperson Keese Smith said, "We had HazMat come in, looking at the trash bag outside to see if they can determine the substance. Actually, no substance has been found yet, so what we're doing is taking the entire contents of and sending it off to the lab for analysis."

Officials have shut off the AC to the jail so that the substance isn't spread through the air. The 18 inmates who are held at the location have since been transported to another jail just to be safe.

HazMat did clear the inheritance house, saying they found no substance inside.

The city of Houston advises anyone who had court at the Mykawa station to go to 1400 Lubbock instead.