RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — It has been just under two months since a strange, red-colored, gelatinous material was found in barrels in scattered across Richmond and Henrico County, but the mystery of who is behind the illegal dumping and why it happened still remains.
Soon after the drums of the goo were found, the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (VDEQ) confirmed that the mysterious substance was actually chemicals used in cosmetics like hair products, skin care and soap.
Even though the mystery of what was in those barrels has been solved, many questions still remain.
8News turned to multiple agencies to find out who was responsible for the dumping, where the barrels came from, how the substance ended up in multiple locations and why the dumping happened in the first place. But the search for answers only ended in more questions.
The Virginia Department of Environmental Quality directed 8News to Richmond and Henrico officials for answers. Richmond Police said no one had been arrested in connection to the crime. Henrico Fire said several agencies are still actively working together to try to figure out what happened.
Questions around the strange barrels do not end at who dumped them.
Originally, VDEQ said they found a total of nine dump sites in Richmond and Henrico County, including Texas Beach and Highland Park. The department also said the material was not hazardous to human health and all but five barrels were cleaned up as of May 13.
But there is no word on whether the remaining barrels have been removed, and environmental officials have also not answered whether the material was hazardous to the environment.
It is also unclear if all the dumpings across the area were connected.
