Selects: The Great Finger in the Wendy's Chili Caper
Josh Clark and Charles W. "Chuck" Bryant recount the 2005 Wendy's chili finger case in which Anna Ayala claimed to find a human fingertip in her bowl of chili at a San Jose Wendy's. They walk through the immediate fallout for Wendy's, the internal and police investigations, the exposure of the hoax, the discovery of whose finger it really was, and the legal and financial consequences for Ayala, her husband, and the restaurant chain. The hosts also briefly touch on other verified cases of fingers found in fast food and read a listener email about the Adidas-Puma feud episode.
SYSK's Fall True Crime Playlist: The Tylenol Murders, Part I
Josh and Chuck recount the 1982 Chicago-area Tylenol murders, in which seven people died after ingesting cyanide-laced extra-strength Tylenol capsules. They walk through the broader context of a tense year in America, the detailed timeline of each victim's death, how investigators discovered cyanide in the capsules, and the ensuing public panic and copycat tampering incidents. The episode closes with the formation of a multi-agency task force and the leading "mad poisoner" theory that the tampering occurred at or around retail stores rather than in the factory.
Short Stuff: Death Cap Mushroom
The hosts discuss the death cap mushroom, a highly poisonous fungus responsible for a significant percentage of mushroom-related fatalities. They explain its symbiotic relationship with certain trees, how it spread from Europe to North America, why it is considered invasive in some regions, and what its toxins do to the human body. They close with strong cautions about mushroom foraging and basic identification traits of death cap mushrooms.