NEW SWEDEN, Maine (CNN) -- "Acute arsenic poisoning" killed a 78-year-old man who became ill along with 15 others after drinking tainted coffee during a meeting Sunday at their church, state police said Thursday. "This is no accident," said Stephen McCausland, a spokesman for the Maine Department of Public Safety. In a written statement, McCausland said investigators had found arsenic in brewed coffee served at the meeting at Gustaf Adolph Lutheran Church in New Sweden. Arsenic also was found in "biological samples from the victims," he said. "This investigation has produced no evidence that supports a conclusion that the arsenic was introduced into the brewed coffee accidentally," he said. McCausland said tests done on the tap water, sugar and coffee grounds used for the brewed coffee all tested negative for arsenic. The parishioners became ill after the meeting, where they all had something to eat and something to drink. Church elder Walter Morrill, 78, died. The other 15 church members remain hospitalized with arsenic poisoning. Investigators are trying to interview the entire church congregation, and plan to reinterview the sick parishioners and their families.
