Durham police are investigating two reports of possible Halloween candy tampering after families discovered foreign objects while sorting through candy collected on Oct. 31.
In Ajax, a family found a small piece of wire embedded inside a packaged gummy candy their child had collected while trick-or-treating in the area of Rossland Road West and Church Street North.
The family was not able to determine which home handed out the candy, and no injuries were reported.
A second, separate incident was reported in Pickering, where a family discovered a sewing needle while sorting through candy collected in the area of Sultana Square, Foxwood Trail and Braeburn Crescent. According to the Durham Regional Police Service, the needle was found loose among the collected candy and was not inside any candy or chip packaging. No injuries were reported in that case either.
Police have seized the items in both cases, and the investigations remain ongoing to determine how the foreign objects became associated with the Halloween candy.
Police remind families to inspect candy
While the investigations continue, police are reminding parents and guardians to inspect all Halloween candy before it is eaten, and to report any suspicious items to police.
Anyone with information about either incident is asked to contact the Durham Regional Police Service at 905-579-1520.
Both discoveries were made in the days following Halloween, a night when children across Ajax and Durham Region go door to door collecting candy from neighbours. Reports of tampered treats are rare, but police typically advise families each year to check candy before allowing children to eat it.
Residents in the affected areas who were out trick-or-treating on Oct. 31 are encouraged to take a second look at any candy that may still be at home, particularly packaged gummies in the Ajax case and loose items among collected treats in Pickering.
Anyone who finds a foreign object in candy is advised to keep the item and the packaging, if available, and contact police rather than discarding it, as the seized items form part of the ongoing investigations.
