St. Cloud police arrest man for deadly poisoning of roommate with toxic metal

Poisoning leaves family asking questions

A Minneapolis family is looking for answers after their loved one passed away as the result of poisoning from a heavy metal known as Thallium ? nicknamed the? poisoner's poison.? FOX 9?s Maury Glover has the story.

ST. CLOUD, Minn. (FOX 9) - St. Cloud police announced on Wednesday they have arrested a man they suspect poisoned his roommate with a toxic, heavy metal known as thallium. He is being held on suspicion of murder.

Mom suspected poisoning

The backstory:

Back in June, FOX 9 spoke with a Minneapolis family, heartbroken after the death of 33-year-old Cody Ernst.

Making the death so much harder to accept, the family was told by doctors that high levels of a heavy metal known as thallium were found in his system. The levels were so high doctors said they must have been ingested.

"It's a very slow and painful death. And it's not okay to have to watch anybody you love die from that. This is not okay," Ernst's mother, Mary Dickison, explained.

Roommate arrested

Dig deeper:

Through the course of an investigation, multiple agencies determined that an alleged 35-year-old roommate of Ernst, now residing in Moorhead, Minnesota, intentionally poisoned him with thallium.

He is currently being held at the Stearns County Jail pending formal charges.

Dig deeper:

Thallium was used to kill rodents until its use was banned in the U.S. in the 70s because of safety concerns over accidental exposure to the toxic substance.

It is still used in the manufacture of electronics, thermometers and specialized lenses, but it also has a notorious history of being used for murder.