A husband and wife have spoken out after discovering that the stomach-churning source of their worrying health problems was inside their own home.
A couple in Santa Clarita, California, say they began suffering from a string of sudden, unexplained illnesses that left them hospitalized more than once. Over a period of months, they experienced severe chest and stomach pain with no clear cause.
Physicians later warned Billy and David Sonhopper about signs of liver damage, and they were told the injuries could potentially be consistent with poisoning. Alarmed, the pair decided to review security camera footage that had been installed at their rental home by their landlord.
What they say they found was deeply disturbing: footage they believe shows their roommate, Timothy Bradbury, disguised and wearing a gas mask, contaminating items in the kitchen — including food and appliances the couple used daily.
The video allegedly shows a person aiming what appears to be a blue can of Raid bug spray toward food on the counter, as well as toward kitchen appliances the couple say they regularly used.
Speaking to ABC 7, David Sonhopper said: “On the video we found that, besides all the other things that he’s done in the year that we’ve lived here, that he was spraying something — we weren’t sure if it was rat poison, wasp spray.”
Wife Billy added: “He was spraying stuff all over our groceries — our fruit, our vegetables, our coffee pot that we use every morning, and our whole pantry full of our chips and cereal, all of our canned goods and spices. Everything. He sprayed it all over everything.”
After watching the footage, the couple contacted emergency services. But they say the ordeal continued when Bradbury — who the landlord had reportedly been trying to evict — would not leave when officers instructed him to do so.
Deputies said they were told by a family member that Bradbury ‘suffers from a mental health disability’. As a result, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Mental Evaluation Team was brought in, and officials eventually persuaded him to leave following a two-hour standoff.
The couple say the alleged poisoning was only part of a wider pattern of incidents they experienced while living with Bradbury, including significant damage to their belongings. David said: “He set our house on fire. He’s poisoned our stuff. He’s destroyed our property. I’ve had to get a new car because he destroyed my old one.”
After Bradbury was arrested, police reported they conducted a thorough search of the residence and located evidence they say is ‘related to the initial poisoning allegations’ raised by the couple.
Authorities have since charged Bradbury with willful poisoning of food, drink, medicine or water with the intent to cause injury — an offense that is often handled as a felony.
Now that they believe they understand what was behind their health problems, Billy said: “We don’t want to be in fear anymore. We’re tired of it. We just want to be safe.”
Husband David added: “It’s been hell living with him the past year. It’s been horrible.
“With her health issues, we were extremely concerned. And we’re just tired. We’ve been living with so much stress.’