Prosecutors have concluded their investigation into millet dumplings that killed four people in Taitung County, after finding no evidence of intentional wrongdoing or negligence.
On Sept. 17, an 83-year-old woman surnamed Tseng (曾) in Jinfeng Township (金峰) died after eating millet dumplings she made.
When friends and family gathered that night to pay their respects, several attendees also ate the dumplings, resulting in multiple people exhibiting symptoms such as vomiting and convulsions.
Photo: Huang Ming-tang, Taipei Times
Through the early hours of the following morning, a dozen attendees were hospitalized, with several losing consciousness on the way and arriving in critical condition. Two died by 7am.
Another attendee died a few weeks after the incident in early October, bringing the total fatality count to four, including Tseng.
The Taitung District Prosecutors’ Office found that the dumplings contained terbufos, which is found in some pesticides.
At the time, Food and Drug Administration Deputy Director-General Lin Chin-fu (林金富) said that a 60kg adult could die after consuming about 96mg of terbufos.
The investigation found that a week prior to the incident, Tseng’s youngest son helped her ground and ferment the millet into powder to use for dumplings.
Tseng’s granddaughter-in-law recorded Tseng making the dumplings herself.
Tseng, who used to grow her own millet, had stopped doing so and depended on gifts from friends and the community.
Investigators believe that about two years ago, she received millet contaminated with terbufos and stored it in the same place as her uncontaminated supply, never using it until the incident occurred.
Due to Tseng’s advanced age, it is unclear if she understood or remembered that the millet was intended for planting only and was not edible.
Tseng’s family has been informed of the investigation’s findings and the prosecutors’ conclusion that there was no evidence of criminal behavior.
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