Police Found the Children Had Been Poisoned
An autopsy revealed that all seven of the Richardson children had died from poisoning. Joseph H. Minoughan, the initial investigator, decided to search the family’s home in hopes of uncovering any clues about the source of the poison responsible for this tragedy. The first search yielded no significant findings, but as Arcadia Police Chief Richard Barnard and DeSoto County Sheriff Frank Cline joined the investigation, Monaghan returned for a second search.
It was only after several searches that a startling discovery was made – a two-pound sack of parathion was found concealed behind the shed on the Richardson family’s property, shedding light on the horrifying events that had unfolded and pointing to the possibility of foul play.
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