A twisted cyanide poisoning plot has rocked Wisconsin, landing a man and woman behind bars and sending seven state agents to the hospital.
Paul Van Duyne, 43, and Andrea Whitaker, 41, are both being held in the Dane County Jail in connection with an elaborate and dangerous scheme that allegedly involved stalking, attempted murder, and hazmat contamination across multiple counties. Prosecutors claim Van Duyne targeted two of his ex-girlfriends in a disturbing attempt to poison them with cyanide.
Authorities say Whitaker wasn’t just a bystander—she allegedly helped orchestrate the attacks and cover up the evidence.
At Whitaker’s bail hearing, prosecutors revealed a chilling internet search history that included phrases like “What does cyanide look like?”, “Cyanide lethal dose?” and “Does potassium cyanide cloud water?”
According to investigators, Van Duyne is accused of spiking water bottles left in the victims’ vehicles with cyanide. In one case, a woman leaving a Costco in Middleton took a sip from a bottle left in her car, immediately noticed something was off, and spit it out. Tests later confirmed the presence of cyanide.
In another disturbing case in Rock County, a woman reportedly became sick after drinking from her own water bottle. She had noticed a mysterious powder in her car—authorities later confirmed it was cyanide. Prosecutors also believe Van Duyne pumped cyanide powder into the air vents of her car.
Both victims had previously dated Van Duyne.
Officials say Whitaker, who has a background in pharmacology, was the mastermind behind the methods used in the alleged poisonings. Assistant District Attorney William Brown said in court that Whitaker and Van Duyne began dating and “created this plot to kill his ex-girlfriends by poisoning them with cyanide and valium.”
The scope of the investigation is massive. Multiple agencies—including the FBI, Wisconsin National Guard, and local police departments—executed search warrants at three different locations. During one of those operations, seven agents from the Wisconsin Department of Justice had to be hospitalized due to exposure to hazardous materials.
Van Duyne was ultimately tracked down and arrested in Rock County after showing up at the Janesville home of one of his alleged victims. Prosecutors said that move forced law enforcement to act quickly.
While in custody, Van Duyne allegedly called Whitaker and instructed her to remove incriminating evidence from his home—namely his laptop and suspected toxic materials. That call led to a search of both their residences and a third property tied to a restraining order filed against Van Duyne just last month.
Whitaker’s bail has been set at $750,000. She is prohibited from contacting Van Duyne as the investigation unfolds. Both are due back in court Friday.
Authorities say the case is still developing and more charges could be on the way.
Click this link for the original source of this article.
Author: thedailycrime1
This content is courtesy of, and owned and copyrighted by, https://thedailycrime.org and its author. This content is made available by use of the public RSS feed offered by the host site and is used for educational purposes only. If you are the author or represent the host site and would like this content removed now and in the future, please contact USSANews.com using the email address in the Contact page found in the website menu.
