Arsenic poisoning at a Maine church

Christian Century, May 17, 2003

State police said someone intentionally caused the arsenic sickening of 16 churchgoers, which led to one death, at Gustaf Adolph Lutheran church in New Sweden, Maine, After the morning service on April 27, people drinking coffee from one of two urns complained of its odd taste. The death of 78-year-old Walter Reid Morrill came shortly after the incident in northeastern Maine.

Affected churchgoers received treatment at hospitals in nearby Caribou or in Bangor to purge their systems of the chemical. A container that held arsenic was found. "We are officially treating this as a homicide," Police spokesman Steve McCausland said May 1.

The 300-member church has no permanent pastor.

"We are cooperating with the investigation and providing pastoral care for the victims and their families," said Margaret Payne, bishop of the Massachusetts-based New England Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. "Deeply distressed" by the incident, in which at least two victims were listed in critical condition at the start, Payne said she and synod associate pastor Hans Arnesen planned to conduct worship at the church May 4 and provide ongoing care in subsequent weeks.