good to know
Tampered Treats: Should Parents Really Worry on Halloween? BY AUSTRIA COHN PHOTOS BY FREEPIK.COM
20 COLORADO PARENT OCTOBER 2024 The fear of tampered Halloween candy dates back to the 1960s, growing stronger in the 1970s thanks to media reports, urban legends, and a few isolated incidents that received widespread attention. To further understand this topic, let’s look at some case files that led to this fear. E very Halloween, kids put on their best costumes–whether spooky witches or cute pumpkins–and go door-to-door in search of sweet treats. It’s a night of fun and excitement that both children and parents eagerly await. Yet, amid the laughter and sugar rush, a familiar warning always lingers: “Check your Halloween candy!” It’s a message echoed by city officials, neighbors, and friends alike. But is there any truth behind this caution?
Case File 1 Date: October 31, 1964 Location: Long Island, New York Suspect: Helen Pfeil
The police launched an immediate search for the suspect and any more deadly disguised candy. When confronted, Pfeil admitted to distributing the poison only to the three teens because, in her opinion, they were “too old” for trick-or-treating. No one was hurt. Case File 2 Date: October 31, 1974
Source: New York Post Description of Incident:
On Halloween night of 1964, three teen girls dressed as “hobos” knocked on the door of Helen Pfeil, a mother living in Long Island. Instead of the usual candy, Pfeil teased the girls, questioning, “Aren’t you a little old to be trick-or-treating?” She then handed out a strange “treat” hidden among the candy. The girls continued their rounds without suspi- cion but later discovered something alarming when their mother emptied their candy bags. They found arsenic pellets, and wrapped inside a napkin was a bottle-cap-shaped ant trap with a clear warning – “poison.”
Location: Pasadena, Texas Suspect: Ronald O’Bryan Source: HubPages Description of Incident:
Ten years after Helen’s Pfeil’s dangerous Hal- loween antics, Ronald O’Bryan committed one of the most notorious crimes in Hallow- een history. O’Byran, his two children–Tim and Elizabeth–and some friends ventured
Made with FlippingBook. PDF to flipbook with ease