Parents accuse 'sociopath' of covering playground with peanut butter to harm allergic children

Peanut allergies are no joke if you're allergy is the kind that can cause serious anaphylactic shock. But some parents are alleging a peanut butter mess is the work of a kind of serial killer.

A mother arrived at a playground in the Dufferin Grove neighborhood in Toronto only to discover the toys were covered in peanut butter.

“It was everywhere. All over the hand railings... on the ladder, all over the swings, all over the slides,” said Sarah Bolton, according to Toronto Star. She went to the park with her two-year-old son Lewis Wednesday morning.

“It’s just a really scary situation," she continued. "It would have to take a sociopath to do something like this." She said that she also alerted others via neighborhood Facebook groups.

“You shouldn’t have to worry that someone will maliciously put a very (well)-known allergen (in a place) that kids will play,” she said.

“Only a psychopath would do such a heinous thing!” one commenter said in the group. “What kind of an evil person does this?”

The incident is the fourth in a series of peanut butter smearings though it's unclear if the actions are all connected to the same serial smearer.

Matthew Cutler, a spokesperson for Toronto Parks, Forestry and Recreation reported to The Star that the staff couldn't find any peanut butter when they arrived at the park to investigate following complaints. While there, however, a parent approached him and told him that there was at least three jars of peanut butter smeared on the playground equipment on Aug. 10.

“Given the known issues with peanuts and the risk of anaphylaxis in some children, this vandalism even more concerning,” Cutter said.

According to the Mayo Clinic, a peanut allergy is the most common causes of severe attacks ane for some even the smallest amount can bring on an attack. The allergy is also on the rise among young children. Symptoms can range from redness and hives to "swelling of the throat that makes it difficult to breathe."