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
- Art teacher allegedly put poisonous Lily of the Valley roots in his food and drink
- He got suspicious and installed hidden camera, allegedly catching her in the act
Sarah Scheffer, 37, was charged with attempted murder after her husband Matthew, 38, installed a hidden camera when he started getting sick.
He watched as his wife allegedly blended the contents of a green bowl, which were roots 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 popular at weddings but poisonous when ingested, particularly its roots.
Ms Scheffer proudly wrote on her photography business' Instagram page that she is 'mother to two wild things and wife to a bearded foodie' - but police alleged she planned to murder him and flee to Pakistan.
- Sarah Scheffer, 37, was charged with attempted murder after her husband Matthew, 38, installed a hidden camera when he started getting sick
- Ms Scheffer allegedly admitted during interrogation that she added the poisonous plant to the smoothie 'with the intent to cause the victim harm'
The couple have two sons - a young boy and a baby - and it is unclear if Ms Scheffer planned to take them to Pakistan as part of her escape
Mr Scheffer, a regional manager at US Foods, installed the security camera after he began to suspect his wife was trying to make him sick for the past six weeks.
'The victim described eight occurrences in which the defendant provided a beverage or food that had an odd taste,' a probable cause statement read.
'Shortly after ingesting 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 had a bitter taste, and she changed her story twice.
First she bizarrely said she urinated in his drink, then 'admitted to putting an industrial strength adhesive in it', then denied adding anything to it at all.
- Ms Scheffer is a design and art teacher at Calvary Lutheran High School in Jefferson City (pictured on the school's website)
- Mr Scheffer secretly installed a camera facing the kitchen in their Jefferson City, Missouri, home (pictured) and allegedly caught her latest poisoning attempt
He stashed the smoothie in the fridge 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 added the poisonous plant to the smoothie 'with the intent to cause the victim harm'.
'The defendant admitted to knowing that ingesting 'lily of the valley' could result in death,' the statement said.
The probable cause statement opposed bail because Ms Scheffer told police she had 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 Cole County Jail.
She is a design and art teacher at Calvary Lutheran High School in Jefferson City, which put her on leave while the case plays out.
'The alleged conduct was outside of the employee's association with the school and did not involve a student or any other school personnel,' Calvary Lutheran Executive Director John Christman said.
- Lily of the Valley is a white flower popular at weddings but poisonous when ingested, particularly its roots
- Ms Scheffer is a professional artist and photographer who also teaches at a local high school
