Millis child ingests laxative mistakenly given to trick-or-treaters

MILLIS, Mass. — A resident of the Millis home where laxatives were given to trick-or-treaters said her mother mistakenly added them to a bowl of assorted candy before handing them out.

In an alert on social media, Millis police had urged parents to inspect their children’s candy after one child ingested the soft-chew laxative.

Millis candy warning A package of laxatives handed out to some trick-or-treaters in Millis.

The May Road resident, who did not provide her name, said her mother had picked up her 68-year-old father’s individually wrapped MiraFAST chews, mistaking them for candy, and tossed them in with the other treats Saturday night.

“She’s been thinking about it all day and feels really sorry,” the resident said. “She discovered it at the moment police came as well.”

Paul Nadeau told Boston 25 News he called police after finding the laxatives in his children’s candy bags and their friends’.

Nadeau’s girls were trick-or-treating with a few other families and returned to the Nadeau home to find the silver-foil packages.

“They started going through [their candy] and trading it all and going back and forth,” Nadeau said. “And a couple of them found little chewy gum packages in their bags.”

The kids thought the packages contained gum. But after a neighbor called to alert them, Nadeau and other parents began inspecting their bags and discovered the laxatives just after one of the kids had eaten one.

“We went to all of the kids. ‘Did anyone have it? Let’s look through all of our bags,’” Nadeau said. “And she’s like, ‘I think I ate it.’ And we described what it was. And she’s like, ‘Yeah, I definitely ate it.’ So, we went through and found it in the rest of the kids’ bags.”

The girl was monitored by her parents, police said, and is doing well.

“Luckily, she’s okay. No issues,” Nadeau said. “She slept through the night. So, no big deal, but just kind of scary to see.”

Police confirmed in a social media update the incident was accidental and encouraged parents of children who went trick-or-treating in the area to examine their candy.

Resident Emily Lupien said she feels for her neighbors who mistakenly supplied the laxatives.

“They are a very kind family,” Lupien said. “My heart breaks for them, because this is a new neighborhood, and the last thing we want them to feel is anybody is mad at them. This is just an awful mistake that anybody could make.”

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

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