Wisconsin Ex-Girlfriends Targeted With Cyanide And Abrin In Murder Conspiracy: Police

MIDDLETON, WI — A Wisconsin couple has been charged in what investigators call a calculated poisoning plot to murder two ex-lovers.

Paul Dustin VanDuyne Jr., 43, and Andrea Whitaker, 41, are accused of targeting two of VanDuyne’s former girlfriends, one in Rock County and one in Dane County, using a mix of deadly substances including cyanide, thallium, hydrogen sulfide, and abrin, according to a criminal complaint filed June 19.

Authorities say the pair, who were in a relationship, conspired over months to carry out the attempted killings.

Both suspects remain in custody. VanDuyne and Whitaker face multiple felony charges, including:

In Rock County:

• 3 counts of Attempted First-Degree Intentional Homicide, as a party to a crime, with use of a dangerous weapon
• 1 count of Aggravated Battery
• 1 count of First-Degree Recklessly Endangering Safety
• 1 count of Stalking Resulting in Bodily Harm

In Dane County:

• VanDuyne: 2 counts of Attempted First-Degree Intentional Homicide, 1 count of Stalking
• Whitaker: 2 counts of Attempted First-Degree Intentional Homicide (as a party to a crime), 1 count of Harboring or Aiding a Felon

In one instance on April 26, investigators say the pair broke into a woman’s vehicle in Fulton, Rock County, and filled her gym water bottle with cyanide and thallium.

On May 4, they placed a plastic tote likely containing hydrogen sulfide in the same woman's car, causing an overpowering sulfur smell that sickened her and her sister, authorities said.

On May 7, police say they poured homemade abrin into the victim’s car ventilation system. The woman was later hospitalized, and testing confirmed toxic levels of cyanide and thallium in her system, along with the presence of abrin in her vehicle.

According to the charges, the second victim, in Dane County, was targeted on May 15. Police say VanDuyne was caught on surveillance footage breaking into her car outside a Middleton Costco and tampering with a water bottle, which the woman later drank from. She said the water tasted foul and made her mouth numb.

On May 20, a second attempted break-in at the same vehicle was interrupted by a witness, according to police. Authorities later tied VanDuyne to the scene through surveillance footage and witness descriptions.

Authorities say the plot unraveled when investigators discovered overlapping evidence in both counties, prompting a joint investigation with the Department of Justice Division of Criminal Investigation, the FBI, and local police and sheriff’s departments.

Investigators said they recovered a "kill kit" in VanDuyne’s minivan, which included sealed vials of unknown substances, a tampered inhaler, a broken-seal water bottle, and a bag of rosary peas, the plant source of abrin.

Authorities also said they found search histories on Whitaker’s phone related to cyanide, thallium, and abrin, as well as dozens of online searches about the victims.

The phone also included messages between Whitaker and VanDuyne discussing how to obtain and use poisons, police said.