So, exactly how much Visine would it take to kill one's husband?

Posted by Emily Farris

Who ever said there's nothing happening in Missouri?

A woman just a couple hundred miles south of Scanner HQ is sitting in the big house after trying to kill her husband... with Visine!

Tonia Peterson is accused of trying to kill her husband, Cecil Peterson, by spiking his tea with Visine eye drops.

The article leaves many unanswered questions. We'll call Scanner Dad, who also lives in Southwestern Missouri, to see if he maybe knows the guy. 

We just wish Tonia was using Clear Eyes so we could have run a picture of Ben Stein.



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Video of the Day: John McCain Said it First


Comments

profrobert said:

I wonder if her husband's nickname is "Red."

January 9, 2009 1:43 PM

Lisa said:

A lot less than you would imagine.  Depending the person's size and overall health status, there's a good chance one little bottle would be enough.  Visine is pretty innocuous only because it's in eyedrop form -- it keeps the drug in the place where you want it to work.  Very little gets into the bloodstream to cause side effects.  Drugs delivered like this (eyedrops, topical creams, etc.) often contain way more of a drug than would be put into an oral formulation because of this reduced chance of side effects.  Tetrahydrozoline (the drug in visine), when taken orally, works on the nervous system and can decrease breathing, lower blood pressure, and cause seizures and coma.  Ingesting more than a few drops would definitely land someone in the hospital, even if it didn't kill him.  

January 9, 2009 2:51 PM

Lester J. Jones said:

I used to work at a bar that was frequented by some ladies of the night, and they often used Visine as knock-out drops.  A few drips in his drink, and their "date" would wake up to find his wallet and jewelery missing.  The girls would let the guys keep both kidneys, but I think that's only because they lacked the medical skill to get one out.

The lesson here is to be wary of hookers who treat their red, irritated eyes.

January 10, 2009 4:46 PM

Apollo said:

I learned a lot from the comments on this post.

January 12, 2009 11:48 AM

About Emily Farris

Emily Farris writes about culture and food for numerous publications and websites you've probably never heard of, including her own blog eefers. Her first cookbook, "Casserole Crazy: Hot Stuff for Your Oven" was published in 2008. Emily recently escaped New York and now lives in a ridiculously large apartment in Kansas City, MO with her cat, but just one... so far.

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