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A North Carolina woman has been charged after newly unsealed warrants allege she poisoned relatives at a Thanksgiving gathering, a case prosecutors say may reach beyond a single deadly incident. The accusations—filed in January and revealed this week—raise fresh questions about past unexplained deaths tied to the same chemical.
Authorities charged 53‑year‑old Gudrun Casper‑Leinenkugel with **first‑degree murder** for the death of her 32‑year‑old daughter, Leela Livis, and with multiple counts including attempted murder and unlawful distribution of a contaminated food or beverage, according to a state investigative agency.
Investigators say Livis and two other attendees drank from a bottle of wine laced with the solvent **acetonitrile**, which is metabolized in the body to produce **cyanide**. Livis died the day after the Thanksgiving meal; another daughter reported only minor effects after a few sips, while a boyfriend was hospitalized for six days with cyanide levels reported well above lethal thresholds.
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Evidence and the scene
Search warrant documents describe a bottle of acetonitrile recovered at the defendant’s home and detail statements investigators say Casper‑Leinenkugel made to explain the incident. She reportedly suggested someone else in the house had purchased the chemical and said the wine had been presented already open and stored near other agricultural or barn chemicals.
Medical records and toxicology testing cited in the warrants point to delayed toxicity consistent with acetonitrile exposure—the chemical can break down into cyanide hours after ingestion, a process public health experts warn can produce flu‑like symptoms before severe collapse.
- Key allegations: Poisoned wine consumed at a family Thanksgiving; one death, two additional victims.
- Charges: First‑degree murder, two counts of attempted murder, and multiple counts of distributing a contaminated beverage.
- Toxic agent: Acetonitrile — a solvent used in industry that can form cyanide in the body.
- Prior link: Investigators now connect the suspect to a 2007 death of a man who lived on her property, previously ruled accidental from acetonitrile exposure.
- Next court date: April 30 (as listed in court filings).
An earlier death reexamined
The warrants say detectives revisited the 2007 death of Michael Schmidt, who had lived in a camper on property later transferred to Casper‑Leinenkugel. At the time his death was recorded as acute acetonitrile toxicity and deemed accidental, but investigators now allege similar poisoning patterns and note that she was the last person reported to have seen him alive.
Prosecutors told reporters the renewed inquiry followed a cluster of emergency calls connected to the defendant’s residence that prompted a broader review of past incidents. Local officials have said other deaths tied to the property are still under investigation.
Casper‑Leinenkugel has previously been profiled in local media as a restaurateur; courts and prosecutors will now consider whether evidence supports charging her in other unresolved cases.
Why this matters now
The case touches on several public‑safety and legal issues: the difficulty of detecting delayed poisonings, how accidental rulings can be overturned with new evidence, and the authorities’ ability to connect discrete incidents across many years. For families and investigators, it underscores how modern toxicology and renewed scrutiny can change the narrative around old deaths.
As the prosecution proceeds, officials have signaled further developments may follow if additional links emerge. Court records show Casper‑Leinenkugel is scheduled to appear on April 30; prosecutors have not yet announced whether they will seek additional charges.
Marisa Sarnoff contributed to this report.
