At least one part of the mystery of the "foreign substance" inside the soup at Dierbergs Market in Manchester has been solved.
Not the part we all want solved, though.
Manchester police officials say they have identified John Schewendemann as the man in the surveillance footage released this week who allegedly put something into the soup. That's because he voluntarily showed up at the police department with an attorney -- and an explanation.
He didn't do it.
After an investigation by Manchester police and the Federal Bureau of Investigation's St. Louis office, officials identified the suspect as Schewendemann, who lives in Manchester, a press release says.
The man voluntarily came to the police station on Tuesday night, and authorities interviewed him with his attorney by his side.
Surveillance video released by police this week, viewable here courtesy of courtesy of KMOV (Channel 4).
He admitted that he was shopping at the Dierbergs on Sunday but "denied placing anything in the soup," police say.
As we reported, some concerned patrons allegedly witnessed him putting a "foreign substance" inside the soup then walking away. They immediately told employees who removed the soup before anyone purchased it.
It's unclear how much the police are buying his story. Officials say he was arrested, booked and released after the interview -- facing charges of second-degree property damage. Manchester police will present their findings to the St. Louis County Prosecutor's Office, which could then move forward with a case.
But what exactly was this foreign substance the patrons saw? Or what kind, at least? Some sort of liquid? Alcohol? Poison? Spices? An inanimate object of sorts? A living creature? A different kind of soup?! Still a mystery. Daily RFT left a message with a detective yesterday, and we'll update if we get any more details.
Here's the latest news release.
Send feedback and tips to the author. Follow Sam Levin on Twitter at @SamTLevin.
