On 12 February 2026, a 58-year-old employee at a factory in Oldbury brought a large batch of curry to work to share with her colleagues.
The food was eaten without issue during morning tea, but by lunchtime, something had changed.
Shortly after 10am, CCTV captured a 43-year-old woman, travelling by forklift to the factory's chemical shed, which was used solely to store chemicals and poisons.
The footage showed the woman leaving the shed wearing a single black glove and appearing to conceal an item in her hand. About 20 minutes later, she was seen entering the lunchroom where the curry had been left.
When the 58-year-old woman returned for lunch around midday, she noticed bright green granules mixed through the curry. The taste was extremely bitter and immediately numbed her tongue.
She spat out the food and alerted management, who preserved the curry and contacted police.
Detectives quickly identified a crucial lead. Several employees had already eaten the curry during morning tea without issue, indicating the contamination had occurred after the food was first shared.
Armadale Detectives launched an investigation, reviewing witness statements, workplace records and CCTV footage. Motion-activated cameras revealed that between 10am and midday, only one person had entered both the chemical shed and the lunchroom.
Further forensic analysis confirmed the snail bait stored in the shed contained the same active ingredient as the pellets found in the curry.
Detective Constable Matthew De Cinque said the forensic findings helped investigators establish a link between the substance found in the food and the poison stored at the workplace.
Detectives also established the women had been involved in an intimate relationship that had become increasingly strained in the months before the alleged poisoning.
After months of inquiries, detectives arrested the 43-year-old woman at her Golden Bay home on 8 October 2026.
Listen more on WA Police Confidential - Episode 36: Killer Curry
