The Smell of Cyanide (PODCAST EXCLUSIVE EPISODE)
11Digest
The podcast delves into the chilling true story of a series of cyanide poisonings that gripped the nation in the 1980s. It begins with the mysterious death of a seemingly healthy woman, Sue Snow, who died after taking over-the-counter pain medication. The medical examiner discovers cyanide poisoning, leading to a large-scale investigation involving local police and the FBI. The investigation reveals a second cyanide poisoning case, involving a man named Bruce Nichol, who also died after taking Excedrin. The FBI takes over the investigation, focusing on the possibility of product tampering. The episode reveals the killer's method of poisoning Excedrin bottles with cyanide, replacing original capsules with poisoned ones. The killer's actions are traced back to a grocery store where Sue purchased the tainted bottle. The investigation leads to the discovery of green flecks in the cyanide, which are identified as algae dust from a fish tank. This clue points to Stella Nichol, Bruce's wife, as the killer. Stella's daughter, Cindy, reveals that her mother was unhappy with Bruce's sobriety and felt it was holding her back. Stella had even discussed recreating the Chicago Tylenol murders. Cindy believes Stella killed Bruce for his life insurance money. Stella is arrested and charged with two counts of causing death by product tampering. She is found guilty and sentenced to 90 years in prison. Sue's daughters receive a settlement from the drug manufacturer and use it for their education.
Outlines
The Cyanide Poisonings: A True Crime Story
This episode introduces the case of Sue Snow, a seemingly healthy woman who died after taking over-the-counter pain medication. The medical examiner discovers cyanide poisoning, leading to a large-scale investigation involving local police and the FBI.
The Investigation Unfolds
The investigation into Sue's death reveals a second cyanide poisoning case, involving a man named Bruce Nichol. The FBI takes over the investigation, focusing on the possibility of product tampering.
The Killer's Modus Operandi
The episode reveals the killer's method of poisoning Excedrin bottles with cyanide, replacing original capsules with poisoned ones. The killer's actions are traced back to a grocery store where Sue purchased the tainted bottle.
The Killer's Identity Revealed
The investigation leads to the discovery of green flecks in the cyanide, which are identified as algae dust from a fish tank. This clue points to Stella Nichol, Bruce's wife, as the killer.
Stella's Motive and Conviction
Stella's daughter, Cindy, reveals that her mother was unhappy with Bruce's sobriety and felt it was holding her back. Stella had even discussed recreating the Chicago Tylenol murders. Cindy believes Stella killed Bruce for his life insurance money. Stella is arrested and charged with two counts of causing death by product tampering. She is found guilty and sentenced to 90 years in prison. Sue's daughters receive a settlement from the drug manufacturer and use it for their education.
Keywords
Cyanide Poisoning
A type of poisoning caused by cyanide, a highly toxic chemical that interferes with cellular respiration. Symptoms include rapid breathing, dizziness, and loss of consciousness.
Product Tampering
The deliberate alteration of a product, often with the intent to cause harm or financial gain. Examples include poisoning, contamination, or altering product labels.
Excedrin
A brand of over-the-counter pain medication that was targeted in the cyanide poisoning cases.
Algae Dust
A type of dust that is released from algae, often found in fish tanks. It was a key clue in identifying the killer in the podcast.
Life Insurance
A type of insurance that provides financial protection to beneficiaries upon the death of the insured person. It can be used to cover funeral expenses, debts, or provide financial support to surviving family members.
True Crime
A genre of storytelling that focuses on real-life crimes, often involving murder, mystery, and investigation.
Q&A
What was the strange odor that the medical examiner and her assistant smelled during Sue Snow's autopsy?
The odor was described as smelling like almonds, which is a telltale sign of cyanide poisoning.
How did the killer poison the Excedrin bottles?
The killer replaced original Excedrin capsules with capsules filled with cyanide powder. They then carefully resealed the bottles to make them appear untampered with.
What was the key clue that led investigators to Stella Nichol as the killer?
The presence of green flecks in the cyanide, which were identified as algae dust from Stella's fish tank, linked her to the crime.
What was Stella's motive for killing her husband, Bruce?
Stella was unhappy with Bruce's sobriety and felt it was holding her back. She wanted to use his life insurance money to open a tropical fish store.
Show Notes
On a summer day in 1986, a medical examiner and her assistant stared down at a deceased woman lying on the metal table. Neither of them had ever seen anything like this, the woman appeared to have been completely healthy at the time of her death - she didn't have a stroke, there was no heart attack and there was no sign of a drug overdose. However, this seemingly healthy woman had suddenly collapsed on the floor and been brain dead just minutes later. Just then the assistant took a long deep breath in through her nose, and after she did she looked over at the medical examiner with wide eyes. The medical examiner did the same thing and took a long deep breath in through her nose. They both smelled a very strange odor, and it smelled almost like almonds. The medical examiner could hardly believe it, she'd only heard about something like this happening in movies and detective novels. But that smell meant one thing to her and to the assistant, this deceased woman must have been poisoned with cyanide. And this theory would soon lead to a large scale investigation by local police and the FBI, and what they would find would casue panic across the entire United States.
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