On July 5, a court heard the case of Raelene Polymiadis, 62, who stands accused of using her own insulin to murder her elderly parents.
The alleged crimes occurred over a year ago, resulting in the passing of Brenda Anderson in March, followed by her husband, Lynton, a year later, in Craigmore, a large suburb north of Adelaide, South Australia. Polymiadis now faces double murder charges.
During the proceedings at the Adelaide Magistrates Court, prosecutors provided detailed accounts of the events. They alleged that Polymiadis initially poisoned her mother with her own insulin, but when Brenda began to recover, she administered a fatal dose. Roughly a year later, she allegedly used a similar method with her father, trying to stage his death as a suicide.
Prosecuting attorney Michael Foundas revealed that neither victim suffered from diabetes nor required insulin, whereas Polymiadis was the only family member with diabetes.
In the case of Lynton Anderson’s death, he was found unresponsive at home with scattered oxazepam tablets, a medication used to treat anxiety, nearby. However, a post-mortem examination revealed that the levels of oxazepam in his system were insufficient to cause death. Foundas emphasized, “What killed Mr. Anderson was an overdose of insulin,” implying that the scattered tablets were an attempt to mislead investigators.
Further investigation into Polymiadis’s activities uncovered troubling evidence. It was revealed that she had searched online for information about the effects of oxazepam the day before her father’s body was discovered.
Polymiadis has not entered a plea and remains in custody. The case will proceed with another court hearing scheduled for Thursday, July 6.
