CORAOPOLIS, Pa. – A mother has been charged with trying to poison her adult daughter and her daughter’s family after allegedly pouring bleach into their macaroni and cheese on Saturday night.
Nancy O’Donnell, 56, was charged with four counts each of aggravated assault and recklessly endangering another person, police said.
O’Donnell’s daughter, Victoria Lynn O’Donnell, 24, was preparing dinner around 6:30 p.m. for her live-in boyfriend, Jamal Scott, 30, and their 6-year-old son and 2-year-old daughter. The four share a home with Nancy O’Donnell.
Victoria O’Donnell went upstairs while the food was cooking, and police said that when she came back downstairs, she could smell bleach in the food. She tried the macaroni and cheese and immediately spit it out after tasting the bleach, police said. No one else tasted the food.
Victoria O’Donnell then confronted her mother about the allegedly tainted dinner. According to court records, Nancy O’Donnell said she wanted to sicken her daughter because “you don’t deserve those children.”
Police reported a strong odor of bleach when they arrived to investigate. Nancy O’Donnell later denied pouring bleach into the pasta, police said.
Nancy O’Donnell is being held in the Allegheny County Jail on $25,000 bond. A judge ordered that she receive a mental health evaluation.
The Dairy-Related Crime Files 