70-Year-Old Woman Admits To Testing Homemade Ricin On Neighbors In Vermont

A 70-year-old woman from Vermont was charged by federal authorities after the poison ricin was found in a care home.

According to investigators, Betty Miller had made the highly toxic powder from castor plant seeds in the home in Shelburne and had wanted to “injure herself,” but was accused of testing the poison's power on her neighbors for weeks.

A resident of the Wake Robin retirement community, Miller was made her initial appearance in a court in Burlington on Friday after she was charged with possession of a biological weapon. The deadly ricin was found Tuesday afternoon in her apartment, LOCAL 22 & LOCAL 44 reported.

Miller told the investigators that she learned how to make ricin off the internet and had harvested about 30 or 40 castor beans, a key ingredient in the poison, on the property of the community.

Officials say first responders were called to the senior living facility in Shelburne Tuesday for possible ricin exposure. During the initial investigation, a substance field tested positive for ricin, officials said. According to Fox News, she told health care officials that she had manufactured about 2-3 tablespoons of the powder and had added it to food and beverages in the home. Investigators said they found the ricin in a pill bottle half-filled with powder and labeled 'ricin.'

The results were also confirmed Wednesday morning after a test was done by the Vermont Department of Health.

“On November 27, 2017, Ms. Miller indicated to health care providers that she had attempted to poison other Wake Robin residents using homemade ricin, which she had placed in multiple servings of other residents’ food and beverages over a period of weeks,” wrote FBI Special Agent Mark Emmons in an affidavit filed at U.S. District Court in Burlington, , LOCAL 22 & LOCAL 44 reported.

CBS affiliate WCAX quoted the health commissioner saying one individual became ill with symptoms compatible with ricin ingestion last weekend. The individual is now reportedly well.

Later, Ben Truman at the Vermont Department of Health in an email to LOCAL 22 & LOCAL 44 wrote:

"As part of the public health investigation, we are now aware of one person, who is not the suspect, who likely became ill with Ricin poisoning. We have been following up with that person.No one - including the individual mentioned above - is currently ill with Ricin poisoning, and the danger for those who could have been exposed is over. Symptoms would have appeared by 24 hours after ingesting and that time has passed."

Miller is currently in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service and faces 5 years in prison. She was ordered to remain in custody by Judge John Conroy until pretrial detention and probable cause hearings next Wednesday citing her “very lengthy mental health history.”

In a statement, Wake Robin President & CEO Patrick Mckee said Miller will not be welcome back to the community.

“This was an isolated incident. The toxic substance was contained; no residents were evacuated. The affected apartment was closed off and thoroughly searched. We have received assurances from the VT Department of Health and the FBI that no one’s health is at risk.