The Mysterious Poisoning of Mary Yoder: Unraveling the Truth

Dr. William Yoder and his wife, a 60-year-old chiropractor, Mary Yoder, were running a successful practice in upstate New York. However, Mary Yoder began to suspect that she had contracted a stomach bug when she became ill one evening in July 2015 and spent the night vomiting.

She was taken to the hospital the next day, July 22 and was expected to stay overnight. However, her three children rushed to her side and discovered that she had gone into cardiac arrest multiple times.

The sudden illness and death of the 60-year-old chiropractor, who was known to exercise regularly, left her family perplexed. They were frustrated with the situation, as they couldn't comprehend how someone who maintained a routine exercise regimen could fall ill so suddenly and die.

The doctors who attended to her were equally puzzled and struggled to determine what had happened. It required the expertise of several specialists to evaluate Mary, as her family sought answers to the mystery.

After conducting tests, it was revealed that Yoder had been poisoned. One expert suspected that the poison might have been colchicine, a medication used to treat gout, which is an inflammatory condition that affects the joints. Colchicine can be lethal if administered incorrectly.

However, Yoder had not been diagnosed with gout or any other medical condition that would require the use of colchicine.

Unraveling The Truth

The investigation soon shifted its focus to Yoder's son, Adam. It was revealed that an email account in his name was used to purchase the poison.

Additionally, an anonymous letter was sent to the medical examiner's office and the local sheriff's department, accusing Adam of being responsible for the poisoning. The letter alleged that Adam, who was known to have fits of rage, was to blame for the crime.

During the investigation, authorities searched Adam's car and found a bottle of colchicine inside. Adam was smoking a cigarette at the time, and when he was confronted with the discovery, the cigarette nearly fell out of his mouth in shock.

However, investigators later discovered that Adam had been in Long Island visiting one of his sisters at the time of his mother's poisoning. He had been with his siblings until his father called them about Yoder's deteriorating health. As a result, Adam was no longer considered a suspect.

The focus then shifted to Kaitlyn Conley, Adam's girlfriend, who also worked at the family's clinic.

According to sources, Conley and Adam were in a very unhealthy and unstable relationship. Their relationship was described as being very toxic, and it was a sad situation. They had an on-again, off-again relationship, and it was evident that whenever they broke up, Conley would resort to certain tactics to entice Adam back into the relationship.

Conley once falsely accused Adam of rape. She also told him that she had a life-threatening ectopic pregnancy and that the child was his. Although Adam was briefly involved with someone else at that time, he broke it off with the other girl and went back to Conley as soon as he received this information. This was just one example of the extremely toxic nature of their relationship.

Further investigation into the matter revealed that in 2015, Conley had given Adam some supplements that she claimed would help him focus on his final exams for college. However, after taking the supplements, he became ill and experienced symptoms similar to those that his mother had exhibited before her tragic death.

It is believed that the Yoder family had no idea about what was really going on between Conley and Adam behind closed doors. They had welcomed Conley as a part of their family, and Yoder had a warm friendship with his son's girlfriend. However, Conley eventually admitted to the police that she had written the anonymous letter, claiming that she was afraid of Adam, who she alleged was abusive.

Forensic evidence proved that Conley had set up the email account that was used to order the colchicine. Investigators also found evidence that Conley had searched for poisons online, and prepaid gift cards were used to purchase the colchicine. Furthermore, her DNA was found in the vial containing the colchicine, providing strong evidence of her involvement in the crime.

Core Motive For The Crime

According to the prosecutor, Conley's motive for the crime was to seek revenge on Adam for ending their relationship. She not only wanted to take Mary's life but also wanted to pin the crime on Adam. The prosecutor believes that Conley took the risk of writing an anonymous letter to blame Adam for the crime due to her desire for vengeance.

Further evidence showed that during lunchtime, Mary had gone out to run an errand, giving the office manager access to the kitchen area where Mary kept her almond milk and protein powder shake that she had for lunch every day.

It was later discovered that Conley, who was the office manager at that time, had taken out the colchicine that she had purchased months prior in powder form and added it to Mary's protein powder or almond milk, while she was alone in the office. Mary returned during lunchtime, prepared the drink for herself, and unknowingly consumed the poison.

Conley was eventually convicted of manslaughter in 2017. At the age of 24, she was sentenced to 23 years in prison for her role in Mary Yoder's death.

References:

Woman Fatally Poisoned Former Boyfriend’s Mom To Get Toxic Revenge On Her Ex

Mary Yoder Murder: Where is Kaitlyn Conley Now?

Ex-chiropractor clinic receptionist, 24, is sentenced to 23 years after fatally poisoning her boss who was also her ex-boyfriend's mother