A California dermatologist has been accused of a crime ripped straight from a movie screen. Her husband of 10 years was falling ill and set up a hidden camera, suspecting she was poisoning him somehow. The video allegedly captured her lacing his drinks with Drano.
Husband becoming ill over time, suspects wife and sets up hidden camera
In a scene eerily similar to the one in the movie The Sixth Sense, where a woman is poisoning her daughter with a pine-scented cleaner due to the rare disease Munchausen syndrome by proxy, real-life may be imitating art.
Dr. Jack Chen, 53, found himself becoming more and more ill over the course of a month. It suddenly occurred to him that his illness might be due to some type of poisoning.
Chen’s suspicions were first raised when he started noticing a “chemical taste” in his lemonade back in March and April. He sought medical help, and a doctor diagnosed him with two stomach ulcers, gastritis, and inflammation of the esophagus.
He deduced that his wife of ten years, Dr. Yue Yu, 45, a dermatologist, might be poisoning him somehow, NBC reported.
There was one way to know for certain: To set up hidden cameras.
According to police, Chen “placed cameras in the home that surreptitiously recorded evidence in the case.”
After reviewing the footage, Chen took the video to the Irvine Police Department and shared his findings supporting his suspicion, Complex reported.
Chen fell ill “over the course of one month” and sustained “significant internal injuries,” according to police.
Video captures wife poisoning husband’s drinks with Drano
After investigators at the Irvine Police Department reviewed the footage presented to them by Dr. Jack Chen, they obtained a search warrant the same day, then went to the residence and interviewed Dr. Yue “Emily” Yu.
After interviewing Yu, police arrested her and booked her at the Orange County Jail. She posted a $30,000 bond and was released the following day, the Irvine Police Department said in a news release.
However, according to the latest reports, Yu has not yet been formally charged.
KTLA5 in Los Angeles posted screenshots from the video, which appear to show Yu pouring what looks to be liquid Drano into a beverage container.
Chen’s attorney said his client filed for a restraining order against Yu, and the restraining order claims that he captured video of Yu on three separate occasions putting the drain cleaner into his hot lemonade drink. NBC posted screenshots.
The alleged incidents occurred on July 11, 18, and 25, the filing states. In the July 18 incident, Chen allegedly covered his cup with plastic wrap. The filing claims Yu took the drain cleaner from under the kitchen sink, removed the cellophane covering, poured the liquid into the lemonade, then replaced the cellophane.
Wife disputes allegations
An attorney for Yu, David Wohl, told ABC News the allegations against his client are “absolutely and unequivocally” false and asserts Yu is “a well-respected physician.”
“We are very concerned that these false allegations have been made by her husband in an attempt to gain an advantage in his recently filed divorce and custody case against her,” Wohl said.
The couple has two children, ages 7 and 8.
