Husband Charged After Allegedly Using Nasal Spray Ingredient to Murder Wife

A man who allegedly poisoned his wife with an ingredient found in eye drops and nasal spray was charged with murder Thursday in Gaston County, North Carolina.

Authorities began investigating 35-year-old Joshua Hunsucker in May after his wife, Stacy Hunsucker, died in September 2018, according to the Shelby Star.

Prior to his arrest, Stacy’s mother, Suzie Robinson, “made an allegation of insurance fraud by her former son-in-law resulting from the suspicious death of her daughter.”

The report continued:

Upon his wife’s death, Joshua Hunsucker had received $250,000 as the beneficiary on her two life insurance policies. According to information provided in an affidavit for a search warrant, Suzie’s Robinson’s beliefs stemmed from a relationship that Joshua was allegedly having with a girlfriend prior to her daughter’s death.

Hunsucker, who worked as a paramedic, reportedly would not allow an autopsy to be performed on Stacy’s body because he did not want her “to be cut up” even though she was listed as an organ donor, according to ABC 7.

Despite her wishes, Hunsucker had his wife cremated immediately after her death.

However, when investigators realized she was an organ donor, they “obtained a blood sample that had been preserved and sent it to a lab for testing. The results showed a high level of Tetrahydrozoline — about 30 to 40 times higher than the therapeutic level,” the affidavit said.

Large amounts of the ingredient are reported to cause heart stoppages, according to WBTV.

Prior to his arrest, Hunsucker’s coworkers told authorities they were concerned because of how “unaffected” he was after losing his wife.

They also noted that his girlfriend quickly moved into the home he shared with Stacy not long after she died.

Stacy’s funeral was reportedly arranged and paid for by her parents, not her husband, according to the affidavit.

Friday, Hunsucker was fired from his job at Atrium Health’s MedCenter Air unit where he had been under investigation for alleged misconduct at work.

The suspect was booked into the Gaston County Jail last week and charged with first-degree murder. He is currently being held on a $1,500,000.00 bond.