Austin police offer $50k reward that leads to arrest for package explosions

Austin police are offering a $50,000 reward for information that leads to an arrest for the recent package explosions that have killed two people. The reward is in addition to the $15,000 Texas Governor Greg Abbott announced on Monday.  

There have been three explosions since March 2, 2018, two of them occurred on Monday. Police urged the public to not pick up any unexpected packages found and to call 911 instead. Interim Police Chief Brian Manley said since Monday the department has received 265 calls for suspicious packages, none of which have turned out to be related to the exploding package cases. 

While updating the public, Manley identified the victim who was killed on Monday as 17-year-old Draylen Mason. 

"From everything I've heard about Draylen, he was an outstanding young man who was going places with his life," Manley said. "It's an absolute tragedy that he is no longer with us."

Draylen's mother, who was also injured in the explosion, is in stable condition as of Tuesday.

The victim in the second explosion on Monday, a 75-year-old Hispanic female, is still fighting for her life, according to Manley. 

The packages involved have been cardboard packages that have been left on doorsteps or in yards overnight. However, the public should be aware of any sort of unexpected package that could be a different type of container. Manley said they are not coming through the mail. Police were unable to go into detail about what the bombs were made out of.

FBI and ATF are assisting the Austin Police Department in the investigation. They aren't ruling anything out, including terrorism or hate.

Officials ask the public to call 512-472-TIPS or 1-800-252-TIPS with any information.