Thai maid detained live on TV after allegedly poisoning toddler with disinfectant

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• A Thai housemaid, Usanee Palang-usa, was detained during a live TV interview after being accused of poisoning a toddler by mixing disinfectant into his milk, which was discovered by the child's grandmother due to a strong chemical smell.
• The incident came to light when the child's mother warned the online community, sharing CCTV footage of Usanee pouring Dettol into the nursing bottle, leading to the child's hospitalization, although he was later confirmed safe.
• Following the viral nature of the case, other alleged victims accused Usanee of theft, with speculation that she intended to poison the child to facilitate stealing valuables from the home.
• During the live interview, Usanee denied the allegations, claiming she mistook the disinfectant for milk, but police arrived to detain her, prompting her to accuse the program of tricking her into an arrest.

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Police detained a Thai housemaid during a live television interview today, December 30, after she was accused of attempting to poison her employer’s young child by mixing disinfectant into his milk.

The case came to light after a Thai mother issued a warning to the online community, saying her two year old Thai son Kirin narrowly escaped serious harm. She alleged that the housemaid she had just hired, 57 year old Usanee “Ann” Palang-usa, poured Dettol liquid disinfectant into her son’s milk.

The mother shared CCTV footage showing Usanee pouring the disinfectant into Kirin’s nursing bottle. The incident was discovered when the boy’s grandmother noticed a strong chemical smell from his milk bottle.

The family immediately rushed Kirin to hospital for medical treatment. Doctors later confirmed that the child was safe.

The mother said she could not understand Usanee’s motive, as the maid had only started working for the family on her first day.

After the story went viral online, several other alleged victims came forward, claiming Usanee had previously stolen from them. Some social media users speculated that the suspect may have intended to poison the child so the family would leave home for hospital, allowing her to steal valuables from the house.

Usanee fled the home shortly after the incident. She later appeared on the popular news programme Hone Krasae on Channel 3 today to defend herself against the allegations.

During the interview, Usanee claimed she did not intend to poison the child. She admitted pouring liquid from a spray bottle into the milk bottle but said she did not know it was disinfectant, insisting she believed it was milk because of its white colour.

However, CCTV footage appeared to contradict her explanation, as it showed Usanee using the same liquid to clean the floor earlier.

Usanee continued to deny all accusations. The programme then contacted another alleged victim, who claimed she had caught Usanee stealing cash and a gold necklace on CCTV footage.

The woman said Usanee later returned the items and begged her not to take legal action or post about the incident online. Usanee strongly denied the allegation and accused this victim of making up the story.

While the interview was ongoing, officers from Bang Pong Pang Police Station arrived at the studio to detain her. The move angered Usanee, who accused the programme of luring her into an arrest. She said…

“Are you tricking me into being arrested? You paid me 5,000 baht to attend the interview and then called the police. This is not fair!”

She then walked out of the studio before police escorted her to the station for further questioning.

At the end of the broadcast, the programme’s host said more alleged victims were expected to visit the police station to file formal complaints against Usanee.