'We felt nauseous': Elementary students fall ill after eating gummy bears from fentanyl-laced bag

On Tuesday, a group of Virginia elementary students fell ill and needed medical attention after they ingested gummy bears from a bag that contained residue that tested positive for fentanyl.

Seven fourth-grade students at Central Elementary School in Amherst "experienced a reaction to ingesting gummy bears," according to the Amherst County Sheriff's Office. Five of the students required medical attention.

Amherst County Public Schools Superintendent William Wells stated that the students experienced symptoms including nausea, vomiting, headache, and muscle spasms.

ACPS sent a notice to parents on Tuesday afternoon alerting them about the incident, stating that the students "experienced an allergic reaction to something they ingested at school."

"Of the seven affected students, five sought medical treatment," the notice read. "Two students were transported by Amherst County EMS and three students were transported by their parents."

On Wednesday, Wells said that law enforcement found that the gummy bears tested negative for any foreign substances, but residue inside the plastic sandwich bag tested positive for fentanyl.

"At this point, we believe the bag containing the fentanyl got contaminated either at home or on route to school as the student was being transported by their caregiver to school," Wells continued. "There's no indication there's any other fentanyl at the school."

One of the students reportedly brought the bag from home and shared the gummy bears with six classmates during lunch. Amherst County Sheriff's Office spokesperson Lt. Dallas Hill noted that the sibling of the student who brought the candy also brought a bag of gummy bears to school; however, that bag did not test positive for fentanyl, ABC News reported.

Kristina Wright, the mother of one student who consumed the gummy bears, wrote in a post on Facebook that her son's "tests all came back normal with no traces of fentanyl."

Wright's 10-year-old son told WSET, "I tried one; it tasted weird."

"Then it tasted good. The aftertaste, it tasted really good," he said.

Wright's son, who said he ate 10 gummy bears, explained that he and the other students felt ill afterward.

"We felt nauseous, sick in our stomachs, hot," he added.

Two adults were later arrested in connection with the incident.

Clifford Dugan was arrested and charged with contributing to the delinquency of a minor and being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm. Nicole Sanders was also charged with contributing to the delinquency of a minor and possession of a controlled substance. Additional charges are possible, according to Hill.

At this time, the relationship between the students and the suspects is unclear.

All of the students were released from the hospital and returned home Tuesday.

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