‘Despicable’: Florida girl cut mouth on blade hidden inside Halloween candy, cops say
Halloween 2021 may be over, but for one Florida family, the biggest scares came after the holiday.
On Friday night, an 8-year-old girl cut her mouth when she bit into a chocolate bar and encountered a sharp blade inside, according to the Hillsborough Sheriff’s Office.
The girl had originally picked up the candy, a miniature 100 Grand chocolate bar, while trick-or-treating last Sunday night in the Panther Trace community of Riverview, said the agency’s Facebook post.
The girl’s mother told authorities she found part of an Exacto blade in the chocolate bar, which had been wrapped and sealed back up.
“It is despicable that someone would tamper with a child’s Halloween candy for their own cruel enjoyment,” said HCSO Sheriff Chad Chronister.
He urged parents to check every piece of candy that their children received in the area as they investigate.
“There’s no such thing as being too cautious when it comes to the safety of our children.”
The extent of the girl’s injuries is unclear.
Commenters under the post were duly concerned, some longtime residents of Panther Trace, who had never heard of this type of thing happening in their neighborhood before.
Others were incensed: “Hope you find the culprit! Absolutely disgraceful.”
“What is wrong with people and why would you do this to a child?!?!”
Still others were suspicious that this story was not real, citing the old 1970s urban myth about kids biting into a razor blade hidden inside caramel apples, and asked Chronister for updates on the story.
Anyone with information related to this incident is urged to call the sheriff’s office at 813-247-8200.
This story was originally published November 8, 2021 at 11:52 AM.
