The Postal Inspection Service has released a documentary about the agency’s investigation into the tragic death of a USPS employee in 2019.
The 28-minute film, “Ambush in Andrews,” tells the story of Irene Pressley, an Andrews, SC, rural carrier who was shot and killed while delivering mail.
The Inspection Service’s investigation showed that a drug dealer killed Pressley to recover a package that contained 2 pounds of marijuana and that had been marked undeliverable.
“Protecting postal employees is our highest priority,” said Dan Mihalko, a retired postal inspector and the documentary’s director.
The documentary shows how postal inspectors used multiple tools and resources to get justice for Pressley, a beloved figure at the Andrews Post Office who was known as “Miss Irene.” Interviews with her co-workers are also included.
“An assault on a postal employee brings the whole postal family together — everyone in the Inspection Service and the Postal Service — in wanting to get those responsible. When it involves the murder of an employee, the Inspection Service puts everything we have into the investigation, and we don’t stop until we have the criminals in custody. And then, postal inspectors work tirelessly with prosecutors to get a conviction,” Mihalko said.
Mihalko and Jonathan Young, a video production specialist for the Inspection Service, worked together for two years on the film, which is the agency’s first in-house documentary.
“Ambush in Andrews” is available on YouTube and the Inspection Service’s website.
