Woman accused of poisoning roommate, 2-year-old child over ‘petty arguments’

LAS VEGAS (KVVU/Gray News) - A Las Vegas woman was arrested after she allegedly put olive oil in her roommate’s water for about a month. The roommate’s 2-year-old child was also affected.

Police were dispatched to a Las Vegas apartment complex just after 10 p.m. Wednesday, according to court documents. A caller said she believed her roommate was putting “an unknown substance” into her food and drink, as well as those of her 2-year-old child.

The victim told police she had refilled four 5-gallon water bottles and brought them home. She said she and her child had been using the water since Monday, and both were suffering from diarrhea, upset stomach and vomiting. When looking through food and water in the apartment’s shared kitchen, she said she found a “weird substance” in all her water bottles.

Police described the substance in the water jugs as being consistent with oil, KVVU reports.

Investigators spoke to the victim’s roommate, Silua Lualemaga, and told her they were there due to the possibility of someone tampering with food or water.

Police reported Lualemaga then “smiled and laughed a little.” When officers asked why she was laughing, the suspect replied that she hadn’t done anything to the food.

“I then asked about the water,” wrote a police officer in his report. “And she stated yes, she put oil in the water.”

The suspect was read her Miranda rights before police continued speaking to her.

Lualemaga told them she decided to add extra virgin olive oil to the water because she “was upset with the petty arguments they have been having at work and at home.” She said she began adding the oil to the water about a month ago.

The suspect was arrested on two charges of poisoning food, water or medicine, which is a felony.

Copyright 2023 KVVU via Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved.