BILOXI, Miss. — A Texas woman was arrested Tuesday and charged with attempted mayhem after allegedly inserting razor blades into bread loaves at two Walmart stores in Biloxi, prompting authorities to urge anyone who purchased bread from the locations to immediately inspect their purchases.
Camille Benson, 33, was taken into custody following multiple customer reports of finding blades hidden in bread purchased from a Walmart Supercenter and a Walmart Neighborhood Market, Lt. Candace Young, a public information officer for the Biloxi Police Department, said. Benson is being held on $100,000 bond, both the Associated Press and New York Post confirmed.
The first incident occurred December 5 when a customer reported discovering a razor blade in a loaf purchased from the Walmart Supercenter, store employees told police. Three days later on December 8, another customer who bought bread at the Walmart Neighborhood Market made a similar discovery, the AP reported.
After a third customer lodged a complaint at the Supercenter on Sunday, employees conducted a thorough inspection of merchandise and uncovered several additional loaves that had been tampered with, law enforcement officials said. The police department received notification Monday.
Police released surveillance images of Benson on Tuesday and identified her as a person of interest before making the arrest, WTVA reported.
In a press release, the Biloxi Police Department urged all residents who purchased bread from either Walmart location to examine their loaves and report any findings to authorities. The department said it does not believe any other stores have been targeted.
“The health and safety of our customers is always a top priority,” Walmart said in a statement. “We have removed and thoroughly inspected all potentially affected products at impacted stores in Biloxi. We appreciate law enforcement for their swift action and will continue cooperating with them as they investigate.”
The retail giant instructed customers who purchased tampered products to immediately discard them and visit their local Walmart for a full refund.
The attempted mayhem charge Benson faces reflects the severity prosecutors assign to deliberate product tampering that could cause serious bodily harm. Razor blades concealed in food products pose extreme danger to unsuspecting consumers who could suffer severe cuts to their hands, mouths, or internal injuries if blades were ingested.
The incidents span nearly two weeks from the first reported discovery on December 5 through Sunday’s complaint that triggered the employee inspection revealing multiple compromised loaves. This timeline suggests the tampering occurred on multiple occasions rather than a single visit, raising questions about how Benson allegedly accessed the stores repeatedly without detection.
Mississippi law defines attempted mayhem as intentionally trying to cause permanent disfigurement or disablement, a charge typically reserved for violent assaults but applicable to product tampering cases where the potential for serious injury is clear. The $100,000 bond reflects judicial concern about the deliberate nature of the alleged actions and potential danger to the public.
Product tampering incidents have historically triggered widespread fear and prompted federal legislative action. The 1982 Tylenol poisonings, where seven people died after taking cyanide-laced capsules, led Congress to pass the Federal Anti-Tampering Act making it a federal crime to tamper with consumer products. While Benson faces state charges, federal prosecutors could potentially bring additional charges if they determine the tampering affected interstate commerce.
For Walmart, the incidents present both immediate safety concerns and potential liability exposure if customers suffered injuries from contaminated products. The company’s rapid response—removing and inspecting all potentially affected bread and cooperating with law enforcement—reflects standard crisis management protocols designed to minimize harm and demonstrate corporate responsibility.
The two affected Walmart locations serve Biloxi’s diverse residential and tourist populations along Mississippi’s Gulf Coast. The Supercenter and Neighborhood Market formats cater to different shopping needs but both stock fresh bakery items and packaged bread that would have been accessible to someone seeking to tamper with products.
Surveillance cameras ubiquitous in modern retail environments likely provided crucial evidence enabling police to identify Benson as a suspect. The images released Tuesday before her arrest suggest investigators had sufficient video footage to establish her presence at the stores during relevant timeframes and potentially capturing her tampering with merchandise.
What motivated Benson to allegedly hide razor blades in bread loaves remains unclear. Prosecutors have not suggested whether they believe the actions targeted Walmart specifically, aimed to harm random consumers, or stemmed from mental health issues. Her status as a Texas resident tampering with products in Mississippi stores raises additional questions about what brought her to Biloxi and whether similar incidents have occurred in other locations.
The December 5 through December 8 pattern, with the first two reported discoveries occurring at different Walmart locations three days apart, suggests possible escalation or experimentation with different stores. That no other retailers reported similar tampering indicates the suspect specifically targeted Walmart rather than engaging in random food contamination across multiple chains.
For customers who purchased bread from the affected stores during the relevant period, the warning to inspect purchases creates unsettling uncertainty about products already consumed. Families who bought bread in early December and have since eaten it face disturbing questions about whether they narrowly avoided injury or discarded compromised loaves without realizing the danger.
The swift arrest—occurring just one day after police received official notification Monday—suggests investigators quickly developed strong evidence linking Benson to the tampering. Whether she had been staying in Biloxi or traveled from Texas specifically remains unclear, though her out-of-state residence complicates potential motives for targeting Mississippi Walmart stores.
As Benson awaits legal proceedings on the attempted mayhem charge, the case serves as a reminder of vulnerabilities in retail food systems despite extensive security measures. While stores employ surveillance and staff monitoring, determined individuals can potentially access products long enough to tamper with them, creating risks that only become apparent when customers discover contamination.
The incidents also highlight the importance of customer vigilance and reporting. The three customers who discovered blades and notified store personnel or police enabled authorities to investigate, identify a suspect, and prevent potential additional tampering. Without these reports, contaminated products might have remained on shelves posing ongoing danger to shoppers.
AP/Nypost
