Police send out warning after mom discovers Flintstones vitamins tampered with

BOSTON — A local Boston-area mother said she purchased vitamins for her child, the bottle was tampered with and random pills were found inside.

“They’re in the shape of Fred, and Barney and Wilma,” said Julie Flint.

On Wednesday, Boston Police issued a community alert about the incident saying the woman purchased the Flintstones chewable tablets from the South Bay Target in Dorchester. When she got home, police say, there were several pills and capsules of different sizes and colors.

“That’s really crazy, that means that someone randomly did that on purpose to harm someone,” said shopper Belinda Walker.

“If you’re buying something for your kids, you want the bests for your kids,” said Joel Paris, a parent.

For Paris, who has two small children, this is alarming.

“Depends on how they can react to it, that might be dangerous,” said Paris.

Police want you to be aware of these common signs of tampering that include:

• Breaks, holes, or cracks in the outer or inner warping or protective seal
• Outer or inner coverings that look like they may have been replaced or unwrapped
• Stretching of the outermost plastic wrap around the top of the bottle
• A loose-fitting cap, or a cap where the bottom seal is no longer intact
• The cotton filler in the bottle looks like it may be torn, stained, or sticky
• The expiration date or lot number on the outside box doesn’t match the expiration on the bottle inside

For tablet and capsule safety:

• Make sure the tablets or capsules inside the bottle look as they should
• Look out for tablets or capsules that have a strange odor
• Be aware of differences in size and thickness, and of broken tablets or capsules that are cracked or dented

While police are investigating who could’ve tampered with the chewable tablets, parents will remain extra cautious.

“That will make me check now, and make sure everything is 100 percent right,” said Paris.

“Watch what you take in your kids’ mouths,” said Flint.

Police said target removed all of the Flintstones vitamins from the shelves. Boston 25 news personally walked into the Target and did not see any of the vitamins on the shelves.

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