BOSTON—Northeastern University (NU) officials are investigating whether a university lab technician, who committed suicide using cyanide, took the deadly chemical from the campus. Cyanide is often used as a weapon of assassination or to kill a small group of people.
Thirty-year-old Emily Staupe, who had recently been laid off as a psychology lab technician, was found dead in her apartment on Sept. 12, along with a plastic bag of crystallized cyanide, reports the Boston Herald. Authorities believe she drank a toxic cocktail of cyanide and orange juice, followed with a glass of milk.
NU officials confirmed that cyanide is kept in the lab, but investigators are uncertain if Staupe took the poisonous chemical from the premises. Additionally, authorities are trying to determine whether the lab tech carried the toxin more than 30 miles away from the university on the commuter rail she took to get to her home, essentially endangering other passengers.
Terrorism experts also believe the incident puts the spotlight on lax security at universities throughout the nation. Many believe that universities don’t screen students and are often unaware of who has access to dangerous chemicals.
Currently, all labs are required to disclose toxic chemical stocks to the fire department. The incident has prompted the Boston City Councilor Stephen J. Murphy to ask college public safety chiefs, the fire commissioner and the city’s homeland security chief to tighten and maintain safety protocols and standards in regards to dangerous chemical inventories.
Furthermore, although Staupe did not injure anyone but herself, university officials are expected to review how it deals with disgruntled former employees.
