Citing unidentified law enforcement sources, multiple news outlets reported Wednesday that mass-shooting suspect James E. Holmes mailed a notebook before Friday’s early-morning theater massacre to the University of Colorado’s medical campus, where he had been a doctoral neuroscience student.

The university said it received a suspicious package Monday, three days after the assault in Aurora, Colo., that left 12 dead and 58 injured. The package was “immediately investigated and turned over to authorities within hours of delivery,” a university statement said. The school did not comment on the contents, citing a court-imposed gag order.

The notebook contained drawings of stick figures being shot and a written description of a coming attack, and was addressed to a psychiatrist at the university, according to Fox News, which first reported the mailing. The Wall Street Journal also reported that a source said the notebook contained drawings of a massacre.

The FBI and other law enforcement agencies refused to confirm the reports.


It was unclear whether Holmes, 24, had had any previous contact with a psychiatrist at the university. The neuroscience program from which he withdrew on June 10 included professors of psychiatry.

NBC News, citing unidentified sources, reported that Holmes told investigators to look for the package and that it described killing people.

The spiral-bound notebook was “full of details about how he was going to kill people,” an unidentified law enforcement source told Fox. “There were drawings of what he was going to do in it, drawings and illustrations of the massacre.”

Holmes allegedly received more than 50 packages at the school and his home that apparently contained ammunition, combat gear and explosive materials, police had said.