SEYMOUR, Tenn. — The Sevier County Sheriff's Office is investigating social media rumors claiming that fentanyl and THC-laced candy hospitalized a child on Halloween in the Seymour area.
SCSO said Friday it was investigating "multiple reports" it received about potentially contaminated Halloween candy in the Majestic Meadows subdivision on Thursday. Its Criminal Investigations Division reached out to local hospitals around the area, and said none reported any medical visits related to the rumors.
"At this time, the Sevier County Sheriff’s Office is unable to verify the accuracy of the reports circulating on social media. We encourage anyone with additional information regarding these incidents to contact the Sheriff's Office as soon as possible," SCSO said.
The rumors appear to have circulated on Facebook and claimed that a child trick-or-treating in the subdivision was sent to the hospital because of candy laced with THC and fentanyl. Another post on the Seymour Speaks Out group claimed the information came from a friend who was a nurse.
Such rumors are common around Halloween, but legitimate cases of contaminated Halloween candy are not at all common.
“There is no evidence that drugs are being made to target children, and the idea that anybody would give away free drugs to trick-or-treaters has been repeatedly debunked,” Dr. Ryan Marino, a medical toxicologist at University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center, said.
WBIR 10News also reached out to hospitals and clinics in Seymour. Summit Medical Group said it was aware of the rumors and spoke with all three of its locations in Seymour. It said none of the locations were aware of a phone call with a person making the claims and said the child named in some of the posts wasn't on any of its patient lists.