Woman poisons spouse and two others with rat poison and antifreeze, Missouri cops say

A woman accused of poisoning three people, including her spouse, sang religious songs while being taken to jail, Missouri authorities say.

The investigation began March 29 when one of the victims told dispatchers Barbaray Clinkenbeard tried to kill them, according to a probable cause statement.

Clinkenbeard, of Versailles, had been in an argument with the 911 caller and admitted to spiking drinks on two occasions in December and January, Morgan County authorities said.

The three victims included her spouse, but deputies did not state the relationships between Clinkenbeard and the other two people.

Clinkenbeard, 61, is accused of putting rat poison in their lemonade and antifreeze in their tea, according to the court records.

While being taken to the Morgan County Justice Center, she began singing “a song about Jesus saving her,” deputies said. She later “changed emotions by crying, then singing another religious song.”

Clinkenbeard told deputies she found the rat poison on a bus on her property and the antifreeze from a truck on the property, according to the court documents.

When asked if she knew how much rat poison could kill a person, Clinkenbeard replied that she did, deputies said.

All three victims said they became “very ill” after drinking the poisoned beverages, according to the investigators.

Clinkenbeard was charged with first-degree domestic assault and first-degree armed criminal action and was jailed without bond, records show.

Versailles is about a 125-mile drive southeast from Kansas City.

This story was originally published April 1, 2025 at 9:59 AM with the headline "Woman poisons spouse and two others with rat poison and antifreeze, Missouri cops say."