Missouri high school teacher ‘tried to POISON her husband by slipping deadly Lily of the Valley plant into his food and smoothies’ – but husband ‘caught her on a hidden camera’
- Sarah Scheffer, 37, charged with attempted murder of husband Matthew, 38
- An art teacher is said to have put poisonous lily of the valley roots in his food and drinks
- He became suspicious and installed a hidden camera, allegedly catching her red-handed
A high school art teacher allegedly tried to kill her husband by crushing a poisonous flower and hiding it in his food and smoothies.
Sarah Scheffer, 37, was charged with attempted murder after her husband Matthew, 38, installed a hidden camera when he started getting sick.
He watched his wife allegedly blend the contents of a green bowl consisting of carrots from a bag labeled “Lily of the Valley” into a smoothie for him at their home in Jefferson City, Missouri.
Lily of the valley is a white flower that is popular at weddings but is poisonous if ingested, especially the roots.
Ms Scheffer proudly wrote on her photography company’s Instagram page that she is “mother of two wild things and wife to a bearded foodie” – but police claimed she planned to kill him and flee to Pakistan.
Ms Scheffer allegedly admitted during interrogation that she had added the poisonous plant to the smoothie ‘with the intention of harming the victim’
Mr. Scheffer, a regional manager at US Foods, installed the security camera after he began to suspect that his wife had been trying to make him sick for the past six weeks.
“The victim described eight incidents in which the suspect provided a drink or food that had an odd taste,” a probable cause statement read.
‘Shortly after ingestion, he experienced extreme fatigue, confusion, blurred vision, severe cotton mouth and nausea.’
Mr. Scheffer confronted his wife on New Year’s Day after she gave him a drink that tasted bitter, and she changed her story twice.
First she bizarrely said she peed in his drink, then “admitted she put industrial glue in it” and then denied adding anything to it.
Mrs. Scheffer is a design and art teacher at Calvary Lutheran High School in Jefferson City (photo on the school’s website)
Mr. Scheffer secretly installed a camera pointed at the kitchen in their home in Jefferson City, Missouri (pictured) and is said to have recorded her final poisoning attempt
The couple have two sons – a young boy and a baby – and it is unclear whether Mrs Scheffer planned to take them to Pakistan as part of her escape
Now extremely suspicious, her husband secretly installed a camera facing the kitchen and is said to have recorded her final poisoning attempt.
He kept the smoothie in the refrigerator and called police on Tuesday, who took the drink for laboratory testing and later arrested his wife.
Ms Scheffer allegedly admitted during interrogation that she had added the poisonous plant to the smoothie ‘with the intention of harming the victim’.
“The defendant admitted knowing that ingestion of ‘lily of the valley’ could result in death,” the statement said.
The probable cause defense was against bail because Ms Scheffer told police she was in a relationship with someone in Pakistan and had searched online for flights to the South Asian country.
Ms. Scheffer was charged with attempted murder and armed criminal action and booked into the Cole County Jail.
She is a design and art teacher at Calvary Lutheran High School in Jefferson City, which puts her on leave while the case plays out.
“The alleged conduct was outside the employee’s affiliation with the school and did not involve any student or other school personnel,” Calvary Lutheran Executive Director John Christman said.
Lily of the valley is a white flower popular at weddings but is poisonous if ingested, especially the roots
Ms. Scheffer is a professional artist and photographer who also teaches at a local high school