There is an urban legend in the Philadelphia area about a Philadelphia dentist poisoning his own son with a lethal pixie stix!
I would love to give our trick or treaters some healthy home-made cookies in a cute Halloween bag but I am sure that the parents would just throw these away out of fear as soon as they got them home.
It was in Texas (Deer Park is where I remember it being, but I could be wrong) and this article mentions the incident. Father took his kids trick or treating, they went to a house where no one answered, the group moved on, but the father stayed behind and supposedly got the candy for the kids. When they got home, the son ate the poisoned candy and died.
I remember it well, I lived in Houston at the time and every parent freaked out when the story hit the news, all candy was tossed in the trash bin, especially pixie stix (it was the last time I was allowed to go trick or treating and we were never allowed pixie stix again). At the time, we heard that they were giant pixie stix and they were only given to his kids. More recently, I’ve heard that he gave them to 5 kids in the group.
The guy was Ronald O’Bryan, if you care to look it up, he was executed for the crime in 1984.
Ronald Clark O’Bryan (nicknamed The Candyman) (October 19, 1944 – March 31, 1984) was a murderer from Deer Park, Texas convicted of killing his eight-year-old son Timothy on Halloween, 1974 with cyanide-laced candy in order to claim life insurance money. He may have also distributed poisoned candy to other children in an attempt to cover up his crime; but neither his daughter Elizabeth nor any other child ate any poisoned candy.
I agree that it is dumb to be afraid of kids getting poisoned by Halloween candy. I wonder about the truthfulness of stories about needles and razor blades in candy as well.
But I think the main reason parents take their kids to malls on Halloween: Kids trick-or-treating inside shopping malls are less likely to get hit by cars. Also, it doesn’t rain inside the mall, so the kids and their parents are less likely to get rained on.
Plus, with hundreds of other kids, it’s like a giant Halloween party and lots more fun than walking through the neighborhood after dark.
Could you forward your research to 9 news in Denver, CO? They are claiming that “police” are issuing a warning against pot laced candy (which really they have been known to mention the police to give themselves credibility). Really I think it’s just a sensationalizing piece because we recently voted to unban pot.
Ok. I accept the fact that there have been no reported cases of poisoned candy. But there have been reports including evidence of foreign objects in candy. And if we include apples from back in the day… Hey! Can I get a grant to study this?
Mr Best,
You state that you never found anyone having died from poisoned candy, yet you go on an say your community hospital started x-raying candy. Well you should invest in that because as far as I understand, no other x-ray can find poison. Your local hospital can make a fortune with that machine from other hospitals to crime labs.
Baxtor
P.S. Sounds to me like you’re a little to into yourself near the end of the article.
I read an article 2 years ago where they interviewed a police detective on objects placed in candy like pins a razor blades. He said in every case investigated the tampering was done either by the parents to get on the news or by a sibling to torment the the other child
His article is about poisoned candy, not objects in candy. His data is stating that no child died or was seriously injured by tainted candy, not that no altering of any kind had ever been done. Please update your info accordingly.
I live in Texas and I worked for a man who lived on the same street with the guy who killed his stepson in the one case you found in your research. It made my boss very anti-Halloween. It took years for our part of the state to trust and send kids out again.
There is an urban legend in the Philadelphia area about a Philadelphia dentist poisoning his own son with a lethal pixie stix!
I would love to give our trick or treaters some healthy home-made cookies in a cute Halloween bag but I am sure that the parents would just throw these away out of fear as soon as they got them home.
It was in Texas (Deer Park is where I remember it being, but I could be wrong) and this article mentions the incident. Father took his kids trick or treating, they went to a house where no one answered, the group moved on, but the father stayed behind and supposedly got the candy for the kids. When they got home, the son ate the poisoned candy and died.
I remember it well, I lived in Houston at the time and every parent freaked out when the story hit the news, all candy was tossed in the trash bin, especially pixie stix (it was the last time I was allowed to go trick or treating and we were never allowed pixie stix again). At the time, we heard that they were giant pixie stix and they were only given to his kids. More recently, I’ve heard that he gave them to 5 kids in the group.
The guy was Ronald O’Bryan, if you care to look it up, he was executed for the crime in 1984.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ronald_Clark_O%27Bryan
Ronald Clark O’Bryan (nicknamed The Candyman) (October 19, 1944 – March 31, 1984) was a murderer from Deer Park, Texas convicted of killing his eight-year-old son Timothy on Halloween, 1974 with cyanide-laced candy in order to claim life insurance money. He may have also distributed poisoned candy to other children in an attempt to cover up his crime; but neither his daughter Elizabeth nor any other child ate any poisoned candy.
Or more likely, …” Oh son, you’d better let me eat that one, it might not be safe!” :)
Send all the cookies you want to help us be better dads!
I agree that it is dumb to be afraid of kids getting poisoned by Halloween candy. I wonder about the truthfulness of stories about needles and razor blades in candy as well.
But I think the main reason parents take their kids to malls on Halloween: Kids trick-or-treating inside shopping malls are less likely to get hit by cars. Also, it doesn’t rain inside the mall, so the kids and their parents are less likely to get rained on.
Plus, with hundreds of other kids, it’s like a giant Halloween party and lots more fun than walking through the neighborhood after dark.
Could you forward your research to 9 news in Denver, CO? They are claiming that “police” are issuing a warning against pot laced candy (which really they have been known to mention the police to give themselves credibility). Really I think it’s just a sensationalizing piece because we recently voted to unban pot.
Ok. I accept the fact that there have been no reported cases of poisoned candy. But there have been reports including evidence of foreign objects in candy. And if we include apples from back in the day… Hey! Can I get a grant to study this?
I call BS since there are reports then post a link. I wont hold my breath
I think that person who would give poisoned candy will cut himself shaving. Fifty times.
Mr Best,
You state that you never found anyone having died from poisoned candy, yet you go on an say your community hospital started x-raying candy. Well you should invest in that because as far as I understand, no other x-ray can find poison. Your local hospital can make a fortune with that machine from other hospitals to crime labs.
Baxtor
P.S. Sounds to me like you’re a little to into yourself near the end of the article.
The X-rays are to find sharp objects, obviously.
And yet, both poison and sharp objects are the potential risk.
What good does it do to search for only one?
I hope you’re not an insurance broker, since you have not the idea of risk that even a 1st grader has.
They don’t care about blunt objects, obviously!
:) jk
Sad that there are people who dispute this and are upset with his findings.
Some people don’t want to believe the truth.
They can’t handle the truth!
I’ve always thought that was an urban legend…
Mr Best, here’s an article link. Police verified a needle found in candy. Guess it was just a matter of time. Please update your info accordingly.
http://www.durhamnews24.com/durham-news/25-breaking-news/753-needle-found-in-halloween-candy-in-whitby
I read an article 2 years ago where they interviewed a police detective on objects placed in candy like pins a razor blades. He said in every case investigated the tampering was done either by the parents to get on the news or by a sibling to torment the the other child
His article is about poisoned candy, not objects in candy. His data is stating that no child died or was seriously injured by tainted candy, not that no altering of any kind had ever been done. Please update your info accordingly.
I live in Texas and I worked for a man who lived on the same street with the guy who killed his stepson in the one case you found in your research. It made my boss very anti-Halloween. It took years for our part of the state to trust and send kids out again.
Can we MOVE ON now? This was barely a story on the 31st!
Is there something forcing your browser to stay on this page? Move on whenever you like and let others discuss what they want to discuss.