- NEW: Authorities find package in university mail room apparently sent by shooting suspect
- Christian Bale surprises survivors during his visit to Aurora
- Shooting victim Caleb Medley and his wife welcome a new son
- A woman shot in the head survives, thanks in part to a brain abnormality
(CNN) -- Authorities discovered a package in a University of Colorado-Denver mail room apparently sent by the alleged gunman responsible for a theater shooting that left 12 people dead and scores injured, according to a law enforcement official briefed on the investigation.
It was sent to the school's Anschutz Medical Campus in Aurora, Colorado.
The official could not provide additional details as to whom the package was addressed, how long it had been in the mail room or what it contained.
The suspect, James E. Holmes, 24, made his first court appearance Monday.
Looking dazed at times, the man who identified himself to police as "the Joker" will continue to be held without bond. He is scheduled to be formally charged July 30.
Meanwhile, families still grappling with last week's tragedy are soon expected to embark on the mournful task of laying their loved ones to rest.
On Wednesday, a memorial service will take place for 51-year-old Gordon Cowden, who took his two teenage children to see the midnight premiere of the new Batman movie "The Dark Knight Rises." Cowden's children survived the shooting at the Aurora theater.
Nine miles away, visitation will take place for Micayla Medek, a 23-year-old woman who was working toward her college degree.
Those who were wounded still face the specter of permanent injury and long recovery periods.
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One woman, who was shot in the knee, endured her third surgery Monday and has plans to travel to Baton Rouge Wednesday for further reconstructive operations.
The mother of Bonnie Kate Pourciau said her daughter was struck by a bullet after pulling a friend to the floor in an effort to escape the hail of gunfire.
"Mom, I've been shot," recalled Kathleen Pourciau of her daughter's phone call, made just before 2 a.m. Friday.
In Aurora, actor Christian Bale, star of "The Dark Knight Rises," surprised residents Tuesday when he visited a memorial for the victims and met with survivors of the shooting spree, CNN affiliate KDVR reported.
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Victim reacts to first look at shooter One of the victims, Carey Rottman, posted a picture of Bale visiting him in his hospital room on Facebook.
"Wow! Thank you so much for the visit Christian! What a great guy! Still in shock!" Rottman wrote, according to KDVR.
Amid the tragedy, other survivors also had reasons to brief sighs of relief.
Petra Anderson suffered four shotgun wounds, including one in her head. But thanks in part to a brain abnormality, she survived, her pastor said.
"The doctor explains that Petra's brain has had from birth a small 'defect' in it. It is a tiny channel of fluid running through her skull, like a tiny vein through marble, or a small hole in an oak board, winding from front to rear," Brad Strait of Cherry Creek Presbyterian Church in Englewood, Colorado, wrote on his blog.
Tales of heroism spring from tragedy
"Like a marble through a small tube, the defect channels the bullet from Petra's nose through her brain. It turns slightly several times, and comes to rest at the rear of her brain. And in the process, the bullet misses all the vital areas of the brain. In many ways, it almost misses the brain itself," he said.
Anderson has started physical and speech therapy and is able to walk, talk and laugh, said Andrew Roblyer, a family friend.
Shooting victim Caleb Medley's wife, Katie, gave birth to their son, Hugo Jackson Medley, Tuesday morning. Both the mother and baby were doing well, the University of Colorado Hospital said.
But Caleb Medley, who was shot in the head, lost an eye and suffered brain damage.
"The surgeon came and talked to us and said he'd be in ICU at least a week," said Medley's friend, Michael West, who set up a website to help take care of medical bills and the needs of Medley's family.
"I knew it was going to rack up in the hundreds of thousands, if not millions," West said of his friend's medical expenses.
Medley, who had been doing standup comedy routines in Denver and was working full-time at Target, had no health insurance, his brother Seth said.
The public gets its first glimpse of James Holmes, 24, the suspect in the Colorado theater shooting during his initial court appearance Monday, July 23. With his hair dyed reddish-orange, Holmes, here with public defender Tamara Brady, showed little emotion. He is accused of opening fire in a movie theater Friday, July 20, in Aurora, Colorado, killing 12 people and wounding 58 others. More photos: Mourning the victims of the Colorado theater massacre 
Police release the official photo from Holmes' booking after the shooting. 
Holmes often had a blank stare during his court appearance Monday, appearing to be in a daze. 
Victims and their relatives and journalists watch the proceedings Monday. 
Flags fly at half-staff Monday at the Arapahoe County Courthouse in Centennial, Colorado, where the movie theater shooting suspect had his first court appearance. The prosecutor held a press conference outside the courthouse. 
Arapahoe County District Attorney Carol Chambers talks to reporters Monday before heading into the courthouse. Chambers said the decision on whether to pursue the death penalty is a long process that involves input from victims and their families. 
Family members of the victims arrive at the courthouse Monday for the suspect's first court appearance. 
The Century Aurora 16 multiplex in Aurora becomes a place of horror after a gunman opened fire Friday in a crowded theater. At least 17 people remained hospitalized late Sunday, July 22, in the shooting rampage that shocked the nation. 
Holmes is accused of opening fire during a midnight screening of the new Batman movie, "The Dark Knight Rises." Holmes purchased four weapons and more than 6,000 rounds of ammunition in recent months, police say. 
Police investigate outside the Century 16 multiplex Saturday, July 21, a day after the mass shooting. Authorities have been tight-lipped about a possible motive in the case. 
Agents search the suspect's car outside the theater. 
Aurora police escort a sand-filled dump truck containing improvised explosive devices removed from Holmes' booby-trapped apartment Saturday. Authorities have said they believe the suspect rigged his place before leaving for the movie theater. 
Police break a window at the suspect's apartment Friday in Aurora. 
Law enforcement officers speak with Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper, center, outside the suspect's apartment Saturday. 
Law enforcement officers prepare to disarm the booby-trapped apartment Saturday. 
Officials tow cars outside Holmes' apartment Saturday. Police disassembled devices and trip wires set up in the apartment. 
Officers prepare to place an explosive device inside the apartment. 
Debris flies out a window, right, after law enforcement officers detonate an explosive device inside the apartment Saturday. 
People mourn the victims during a vigil behind the theater where a gunman opened fire on moviegoers in Aurora. 
A woman grieves during a vigil for victims behind the theater. 
A distraught woman receives counseling from Pastor Quincy Shannon, left, in front of Gateway High School in Aurora, where the families of the missing met following the shooting. 
Lin Gan of Aurora holds back tears as she speaks to reporters about her experience in the Century 16 theater Friday. 
People embrace before a vigil for victims behind the theater where a gunman opened fire on moviegoers. 
Investigators work on evidence near the apartment of James Holmes on Friday. 
Members of the Aurora Police Department SWAT unit walk near the apartment of James Holmes. Police have Holmes, 24, of North Aurora, in custody. 
Television news crews gather in front of the home of Robert and Arlene Holmes, parents of 24-year-old mass shooting suspect James Holmes, in San Diego, California, on Friday. 
A popcorn box lies on the ground outside the Century 16 movie theatre. 
An NYPD officer keeps watch inside an AMC move theater where the film "The Dark Knight Rises" is playing in Times Square on Friday. NYPD is maintaining security around city movie theaters following the deadly rampage in Aurora, Colorado. 
Adariah Legarreta, 4, is comforted by her grandmother Rita Abeyta near the Century 16 Theater in Aurora. 
A cyclist and pedestrians pass a theater showing the latest Batman movie in Hollywood, California, on Friday. Warner Brothers said it was "deeply saddened" by Friday's massacre at a Colorado screening of "The Dark Knight Rises." 
Obama supporters observe a moment of silence for the victims at a campaign event at Harborside Event Center in Fort Myers, Florida, on Friday. 
Jessica Ghawi, an aspiring sportscaster, was one of the victims. 
A woman waits for news outside Gateway High School, a few blocks from the scene of the shooting at the Century Aurora 16. 
Aurora police chief Daniel J. Oates speaks at a press conference near the Century 16 Theater on Friday. 
Agents search the trash container outside the suspect's apartment in Aurora. 
A Federal ATF officer carries protective gear onsite at the home of alleged shooting suspect James Holmes. 
Obama speaks on the shootings at the event in Fort Myers. 
Moviegoers are interviewed at the Century Aurora 16. 
Officers gathered at the theater Friday. 
Investigators were a common sight at the theater Friday. 
Authorities gather at the shooting suspect's apartment building in Aurora. Police broke a second-floor window to look for explosives that the suspect claimed were in the apartment. 
Screaming, panicked moviegoers scrambled to escape from the black-clad gunman, who wore a gas mask and randomly shot as he walked up the theater's steps, witnesses said. 
University of Colorado Hospital spokeswoman Jacque Montgomery said that all of the wounded had injuries from gunshot wounds, ranging from minor to critical. 
A woman sits on top of her car near the crime scene. 
Police block access to the Town Center mall after the shooting. 
Witnesses told KUSA that the gunman kicked in an emergency exit door and threw a smoke bomb into the darkened theater before opening fire. 
What is believed to be the suspect's car is examined after the shooting. 
Republican presidential candidate and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney delivers remarks regarding the shooting in an Aurora, Colorado, movie theater on Friday at a campaign event in Bow, New Hampshire. 
Colorado movie theater massacre Money is also streaming into GivingFirst.org, which is accepting donations for the shooting victims and their relatives. By Tuesday, the amount had reached almost $2 million, Gov. John Hickenlooper said.
"The needs will be great and we look forward to seeing the fund grow exponentially," he said. "This money will help those impacted by this tragedy begin to recover and rebuild their lives."
Hickenlooper said donors include Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures, co-producers of "The Dark Knight Rises."
Victims remembered through poignant stories
Sources at Warner Bros. studios told CNN the company made a "substantial" donation. Warner Bros., a subsidiary of CNN's parent company Time Warner, would not divulge how much money it was giving out of respect for the victims, the sources said.
Holmes had booby-trapped his Aurora apartment with more than 30 homemade grenades and 10 gallons of gasoline, a law enforcement official who viewed video showing the apartment's interior has told CNN.
The sophisticated setup at the sparsely furnished third-floor, one-bedroom apartment was meant to harm, or possibly kill, anyone who entered -- and tested the skills of bomb squad members charged with clearing it.
"Imagine that fireball ... you would have an explosion that would knock down the wall of (nearby) apartments," the official said Monday. "That flame would have consumed the entire third floor."
The Holmes family issued a statement Friday saying, "Our hearts go out to those who were involved in this tragedy and to the families and friends of those involved." It added, "We are still trying to process this information."
Focusing on the victims, not the shooter
CNN's Elwyn Lopez, Carol Cratty, Poppy Harlow, Dana Ford, Breeanna Hare, Alta Spells, Ed Lavandera, Nick Valencia and Jessica Jordan contributed to this report.
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