Shivangi Sinha
After her divorce in 1995, Rachel wanted to move out and live independently. During this time, she met Janie Lynn Ridd. As they moved in together, they found a stable compatibility and lived together for about 15 years. However, Rachel soon experienced a mysterious decline in her health. In December 2019, the FBI knocked on her door, revealing that Janie had been poisoning her and attempting to kill her. This bizarre series of events, including Janie’s apprehension and subsequent justice, is detailed in the Netflix episode ‘My BFF Tried to Kill Me’ from the series ‘Worst Roommate Ever.’
Rachel and Her Son Were Very Close to Janie
When Janie Lynn Ridd met Rachel in 1996, she shared that someone had tried to break into her house, and she was scared of living alone. Rachel, who had recently divorced and lived with her parents, also wanted to move out. They met at the perfect time. Despite only knowing each other for a few months, they decided to move in together in Utah. Their arrangement worked well, with Janie becoming a good roommate and friend. She helped Rachel regain her feet and taught her how to manage her affairs.
There were no significant conflicts between the two except when Rachel started seeing someone Janie did not approve of, leading to some arguments. Despite this, they stayed together for over a decade. In January 2010, Rachel hurt her back and experienced a herniated disc, and Janie supported her through this difficult time. Around the same period, Rachel found out she was pregnant, and the child’s father chose not to be involved. Janie stood by her friend, helping her through the surgery and the subsequent pregnancy.
By this time, Rachel had lost her job, was in immense physical pain, and was utterly dependent on Janie. Rachel took out a $500,000 insurance policy in her name for her son, Ryder, naming his primary caregiver as the beneficiary. Janie was designated as Ryder’s legal guardian, and this is when things began to change. In January 2015, Rachel had to undergo another surgery, and Janie took over the role of Ryder’s caregiver, which made Rachel uncomfortable. Eventually, Janie served Rachel with a restraining order and informed the police that Rachel was addicted to drugs and incapable of caring for her son.
An Undercover FBI Agent Caught Janie Lynn Ridd
It took CPS a week to uncover the reality of the situation and return Ryder to his mother’s care. Rachel left the house, but the difficulties of living under state care were overwhelming. Janie approached her again, apologized for her behavior, and asked her to move back in. Believing that things had changed, Rachel returned home. However, while still recovering from her surgery, she began experiencing other health complications. She developed an infection on her neck, and her insulin levels inexplicably kept dropping.
In reality, Janie had been purchasing medications like E. coli and insulin, injecting them into Rachel after administering other drugs to keep her unconscious. She also interacted on the dark web, buying Vancomycin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (VRSA), a bacteria known for causing pneumonia, infections, and potentially death. Unbeknownst to Janie, the individual she was communicating with turned out to be an undercover FBI agent. The bacteria she attempted to purchase was classified as a “weapon of mass destruction.”
The police traced the package to Janie, and when questioned about her intentions with the bacteria, she initially claimed to be a biology teacher conducting experiments. However, when this was proven false, she changed her story, stating that her roommate (Rachel) had been unwell and wanted to conduct research to determine the cause. Upon contacting Rachel and learning about her health condition, the police quickly realized Janie’s true intentions for acquiring the bacteria were to kill her roommate and friend.
Janie Lynn Ridd is Serving Her Sentence Today
Janie Lynn Ridd was arrested on December 20, 2019, and faced charges including attempted possession or use of a weapon of mass destruction, attempted aggravated abuse of a vulnerable adult, and aggravated abuse of a disabled or elderly person. In June 2019, she pleaded guilty to the first two charges in exchange for the third charge being dropped. Her sentencing hearing took place in August 2019, where she received a sentence ranging from one to 20 years. As of the latest records, she is held under the Utah Department of Corrections. Details of her parole status are not publicly available.
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