MedCrimes: a Medical True Crime Podcast · Kate Macy and Devon Rebecca

Janie Lynn Ridd, part 2

·36 min·3 clips

Buyer of vancomycin-resistant bacteria on dark web: Janie

This episode continues the story of Janie Lynn Ridd and her best friend, Rachel, a relationship that escalates into medical sabotage. Hosts Cece and Kate, nurses who dissect true crime cases with a medical lens, detail the chilling investigation. In June 2019, Rachel woke in a hospital after her blood sugar plummeted to a near-fatal level of 13, despite having no history of diabetes. After a second identical episode days later, hospital staff could find no medical cause and suggested a factitious disorder. A third hypoglycemic event in September forced doctors to conclude Rachel had received insulin, the only possible explanation. Meanwhile, FBI Agent Steve Cadiz was investigating an attempt to purchase vancomycin-resistant *Staphylococcus aureus* (VRSA), considered a biological weapon, on the dark web. The buyer was identified as Janie Lynn Ridd, who investigators believed intended to use the pathogen against Rachel to gain custody of her son, Ryder. Rachel, sensing a shift, removed Janie as her beneficiary and began planning to move out after Christmas. On December 15, 2019, the FBI staged a sting where Janie picked up a fake VRSA package from a UPS store and was arrested after giving contradictory stories, first claiming it was coffee, then yeast for beer, before admitting she ordered staph. A shocking insight is that Janie had also ordered alprazolam, ketamine, and insulin on the dark web, suggesting she sedated Rachel before injecting her. Investigators found a single insulin needle in the home containing both insulin and Rachel's DNA. Rachel's earlier MRSA neck infection also contained *E. coli*, a bacteria not typical for surgical wounds, hinting at deliberate contamination. Janie ultimately pleaded guilty to reduced charges, receiving a sentence of one to 20 years and serving only 25 months before parole in January 2022. A recorded jailhouse phone call revealed Janie stating, "I am going to find a way to get him back," referring to Ryder. Rachel later reflected that Janie "took joy in watching me plan my own murder," but has since rebuilt her life with her son. The hosts maintain a conversational and often darkly humorous tone, reacting with shock and nurse-informed commentary to the medical details. Their style is educational but deeply engaged, frequently breaking the narrative to express disbelief or connect forensic dots. True crime fans fascinated by medical mysteries and complex, toxic relationships will be gripped by this episode. Listeners sensitive to stories involving child endangerment or medical abuse might find the content too distressing.

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