Blogger ‘obsessed with toxins’ who said 'it’s killing slowly' admits to poisoning her husband

Daisy Zantjer, aged 39, admitted to “administering a harmful substance, on two separate occasions, called tetrahydrozoline hydrochloride to her husband Allan Zantjer. It’s said she used eyedrops to poison her spouse, which were added to his drink without his knowledge. He was hospitalized as a result of the alleged poisonings but survived.

The poisoning happened in July of 2023, according to charging documents seen by American publication Law&Crime. She was charged last month with two counts of administering harmful substances and two counts of domestic abuse causing bodily injury, according to Marion County court records. On Thursday (September 26), Zantjer pleaded guilty to all counts.

Authorities said Zantjer “committed domestic assault” against her husband “by giving him Tetrahydrozoline in his drink without his knowledge,” as stated by the documents. Ingesting tetrahydrozoline hydrochloride can lead to sleepiness, low blood pressure and a dangerously slow heart rate, according to Poison Control.

Charging documents also showed that that Zantjer, of Pleasantville, Iowa, United States, had previously blogged on LinkedIn about the dangers of chemicals and toxins in everyday household products. The blogger “appears to be” the same woman who was arrested for poisoning her husband, Pleasantville Police Chief Joe Mrstik previously told Law&Crime.

“I am a Christian woman who wants to do right by her family and part of that is keeping them free from harmful chemicals and other toxins that could destroy their body,” Zantjer wrote on October 30 2018. Two days later, she wrote “it’s like feeding someone arsenic” in a LinkedIn blog post about doing your own research. “It’s not going to kill that person right away. It’s killing them slowly,” she added.

The anti-chemical and anti-toxin messages appeared to be an attempt to persuade her readers to shop at organic retailers. “I want to see others who care about themselves join me in being toxic free and financially free,” one of her posts reads. “If you decide you want to transfer to spending a toxic free and organic store, feel free to message me and I will give you my website.”

Zantjer was arrested on July 20. It’s not known what her motive for poisoning her husband was. Her bond was reduced from $12,000 (around £9,000) to $6,000 (around £4,500) following her guilty plea, and her sentencing is set for Thursday November 7.