The 1982 Tylenol murders and the 1986 Stella Nickell case were the catalysts to developing new ways that companies ensured their products weren't tampered with. In the early 1980s in Chicago, an unknown murderer laced Tylenol capsules with cyanide, leading to the deaths of seven people throughout the city. The victims were random and the suspect has never been caught. Four years later in 1986, two people lost their lives after ingesting Excedrin capsules laced with cyanide. An investigation uncovered that the spouse of one of the victims was responsible as she allegedly intended on killing her husband first. The second victim was to make it look like a random murder after she poisoned the capsules and returned them to store shelves. She was later sentenced to 90 years in prison.
Since that time, companies have found solutions to tampering problems by fitting their products with seals. However, not everything is foolproof, and consumers aren't always safe. Recently, a video has gone viral that shows a young woman at a Walmart store in Texas. She takes a tub of Bluebell ice cream out of the store's freezer, licks all the way across the top, covers it, places it back in the freezer, and laughs as she makes a quick exit. The public was outraged at the clip, and what started as an unsanitary prank has turned into a legal case.
Walmart partnered with Bluebell and authorities to identify the female suspect. "Our staff recognized the location in the video, and we inspected the freezer case," Bluebell said in a statement. "Based on security footage, the location and the inspection of the carton, we believe we may have recovered the half gallon that was tampered with. Out of an abundance of caution, we have also removed all Tin Roof half gallons from that location. Food tampering is not a joke, and we will not tolerate tampering with our products."
According to CBS News, Lufkin, Texas police have stated that they've identified the woman in the video and are attempting to locate the man who was with her. Police plan on arresting the woman involved on charges of second-degree felony tampering with a consumer product. If she's found guilty, she could be sentenced to anywhere between two and 20 years in prison. It's just not worth it y'all.
