A University of Wyoming graduate student was arrested at Los Angeles International Airport on Oct. 6 after authorities accused her of poisoning a colleague and attempting to leave the United States for China. Aili Wang, 32, faces aggravated assault and battery charges in Wyoming, according to the supplied report. The charges are allegations, and the material does not describe a court finding of guilt.
The investigation began after a coworker who was experiencing health problems set up surveillance cameras, according to a campus police affidavit. Footage from Oct. 1 allegedly showed Wang rinsing the coworker’s mug with liquid from her own cup. The affidavit also described her taking photographs, handling notebooks and searching through the colleague’s desk. Court documents did not identify the colleague.
Authorities said testing identified the substance as acrylamide. The report says the victim’s wife tested water from the coffee maker used to prepare his tea, and that police alleged Wang had bought the chemical through eBay. The American Cancer Society is cited in the report as saying acrylamide can cause several health problems, including cancer.
When campus police questioned Wang on Oct. 5, she said she had not used acrylamide in years, according to court documents. She was arrested the following day at Los Angeles International Airport. Prosecutors allege she was preparing to return to China, her country of origin.
At the time of her arrest, Wang had multiple laptops, portable storage devices and related accessories, as well as physical records and written materials, according to a prosecutor’s request to raise her bond. After she was extradited to Wyoming, her bond was increased from $200,000 to $1.5 million cash-only, the report says. The supplied material does not specify what investigators concluded about the contents of the devices or records.
The affidavit describes the colleague’s work as federally funded research into technology for treating cancer, neurological disorders and genetic diseases. Mark Gomelsky, a University of Wyoming microbiology professor who supervised both students, told Fox News Digital that the episode had been deeply disturbing. He also told The Associated Press that he was troubled by the possibility that one student’s life was at risk and another student might be responsible.
Gomelsky said the colleague was a successful student from Vietnam who had developed a method involving bacteria to deliver RNA to human cells. He said Wang had not passed her first dissertation defense and had become envious of her colleague’s progress. These characterizations and the suggested motive are Gomelsky’s account, not findings established in the supplied material.
Gomelsky said the colleague began experiencing severe fatigue and difficulty sleeping after attending a conference in August. He reported that the student continued to have symptoms, including trouble focusing, and said it was uncertain whether he would fully recover. The report does not provide an independent medical assessment of the symptoms or prognosis.
Tak Sumaya, a University of Wyoming assistant professor who helped identify the chemical, described the victim’s research as a promising cancer-therapy approach. The university’s president, Shane Reeves, said the school takes campus health and safety seriously and is committed to providing a safe environment. Fox News Digital reported that it sought comment from Wang; the supplied material does not include a response from her.
The report says aggravated assault and battery charges carry a possible sentence of up to 10 years in prison and a $10,000 fine. Wang’s case remains an allegation-based criminal matter in the material provided.
