Paul VanDuyne and Andrea Withaker, a couple from Wisconsin, have been accused of attempting to poison two women with cyanide. Reportedly, the victims are VanDuyne’s ex-girlfriends. Furthermore, investigators have been hospitalized while tracking the pair.
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According to Fox News Digital, citing the Wisconsin Justice Department, the couple allegedly planned an elaborate scheme to poison VanDuyne’s ex-girlfriends, two different women in Rock County, Wisconsin.
Allegedly, in May, VanDuyne broke into a woman’s car parked in a Middleton Costco and contaminated a water bottle with cyanide. Fox 47 reports that witnesses warned the woman that her car had been tampered with. However, she didn’t find anything wrong, but claimed that the water tasted funny.
Two weeks later, the same incident occurred at Costco. This time, however, she brought the water bottle to the police, which tested positive for cyanide.
Similarly, and around the same time, a second woman from Rock County was hospitalized. She had drunk funny-tasting water following a gym visit. It is alleged that VanDuyne also poisoned the woman’s water bottle. Just like the first woman, she also reportedly dated VanDuyne for a brief time.
Arrested And Charged
Police arrested VanDuyne on Sunday, June 15, after he allegedly attempted to contact the Rock County woman. Prosecutors allege that, while in jail, VanDuyne called Whitaker and instructed her to remove items from his home.
Fox News Digital reported that authorities managed to intercept Whitaker while leaving the home with the items mentioned above. While searching Whitaker’s phone, alleged conversations between the two, discussing different poisons, were found.
As reported by WISN, Dane County Assistant District Attorney William Brown revealed Whitaker’s internet searches during a Wednesday, June 18 hearing. Among these searches, according to Brown, are “Does potassium cyanide cloud water,” “Sodium cyanide odor, sodium cyanide,” and “Cyanide lethal dose.”
Furthermore, as per the outlet, at least seven investigators were exposed to cyanide while investigating the couple, requiring hospitalization.
Paul VanDuyne and Andrea Withaker were charged in Rock County with attempted homicide, aggravated battery, reckless endangerment, and stalking. In Dane County, VanDuyne was charged with attempted homicide and stalking. Whitaker, meanwhile, was also charged with harboring and aiding a felon.