You’ve probably seen the scary posts on social media aimed at addressing the fears of concerned parents: Halloween candy is laced with drugs, or sharp objects are hidden in treats.
Or maybe you believe that trick-or-treating is unsafe because you’ve been told that crime peaks on October 31st.
In Delaware – and generally elsewhere in the country – these accusations are false.
While there are certainly some fun myths surrounding Halloween, we unravel the most believable and also the most incorrect.
Myth No. 1: Medicated sweets, or razor blades in treats
Like many things on the Internet, rumors about poisoned candy or drugged candy are untrue.
Joel Best, a professor of sociology and criminal justice at the University of Delaware, reviewed reported incidents of “Halloween sadism” dating back to 1958, USA TODAY reported in 2017. Best said he was “unable to provide a substantiated report about a child find’. being killed or seriously injured by a contaminated treat while trick-or-treating.”
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The only proven case of a child dying from poisoned Halloween candy occurred in Pasadena, Texas, in 1974, according to USA TODAY. But Timothy O’Bryan’s father, no stranger, put cyanide in the 8-year-old’s Pixy Stix. Ronald Clark O’Bryan, also known as the Candy Man and the Man Who Killed Halloween, was executed for this crime in 1984.
Likewise, strangers don’t give medicine to children – what kind of business model would that be?
Still, parents and guardians who use recreational marijuana, especially edibles that often resemble candy, should take extra precautions around children during the candy-filled Halloween season.
Myth No. 2: Crime is rampant during Halloween
No holiday is without problems, that’s for sure.
But the rumors that crime increases on Halloween are just that: rumors.
New Castle County Police Department data for the hours of 5:00 PM to midnight on October 24, Halloween and November 7 (one week before and one week after Halloween) in 2022 and 2023 show there were about the same or fewer calls for service on Halloween than on the same days a week before and a week after.
Take a look:
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October 24, 2022 − 95
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October 31, 2022 − 78
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November 7, 2022 − 84
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October 24, 2023 − 90
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October 31, 2023 − 93
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November 7, 2023 − 76
Criminologist James Alan Fox of Northeastern University says the Fourth of July is the most dangerous holiday, with data from USA TODAY/Associated Press/Northeastern University showing at least five mass casualty events have occurred on the Fourth of July since 2006.
Myth No. 3: It is illegal to trick-or-treat after a certain age in Delaware
This myth is actually based on fact. Certain states ban trick-or-treating after a certain age.
In Chesapeake, Virginia, for example, children over the age of 14 and any child found guilty after 8 p.m. are a class 4 misdemeanor.
However, no such bans exist in Delaware.
According to Parents.com, if you have children over the age of 12, the best thing to do is talk to them about trick-or-treating, passing out candy, or having a party.
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Do you have a story tip or idea? Send it to Isabel Hughes at ihughes@delawareonline.com. For all the latest news, follow her on X at @izzihughes_
This article originally appeared in Delaware News Journal: Debunking these 3 popular Halloween myths
