A Halloween night in California took a frightening turn when two fathers discovered their young children had picked up packages labeled as psychedelic mushroom gummies while trick-or-treating, prompting an angry confrontation with a homeowner and a police investigation.
Cameron Hunter and Frank Cary were taking their children through San Diego’s Ocean Beach neighborhood on October 31 when the kids approached a house with a bowl of what appeared to be ordinary Halloween candy.
But one father noticed something alarming as his 2-year-old walked away from the porch holding a brightly colored package.
Instead of chocolate or gummy bears, the package appeared to contain psychedelic mushroom gummies, with labeling that claimed the contents included psilocybin, the hallucinogenic compound found in certain mushrooms.
“My 2-year-old went up and grabbed one and started walking away with it in his hand,” Cary told NBC San Diego.
The father said he became suspicious after noticing a cartoon giraffe and unusual lettering on the packaging. When he examined it more closely, he discovered a dosage label listing five grams and the words “psilocybin mushrooms.”
Alarmed by the discovery, the fathers immediately searched their children’s candy bags and found additional suspicious packages.
The gummies were reportedly sold under the name “Caps R Us” in colorful, iridescent packaging that resembled ordinary candy. The label advertised 10 servings of 500 milligrams each, although authorities have not confirmed that the products actually contained psilocybin.
“The candy packaging resembled bespoke candy, so it was very similar to something you’d buy at a candy store,” Cary told ABC 10News.
Furious that their children could have unknowingly consumed a potentially dangerous substance, the fathers returned to the house to confront the people they believed were responsible.
Hunter recorded part of the confrontation on his cellphone as one of the parents questioned a woman standing near the candy bowl.
“These all have drugs in them,” one father told her.
The woman appeared confused and denied knowing that the packages were potentially dangerous.
“I didn’t realize they were bad, I don’t know,” she responded.
The men explained that the packaging identified the contents as psilocybin mushrooms and emphasized that the treats had been available to young children.
But the homeowner, Shawn Barger, later disputed the allegations, insisting that neither he nor his wife had purchased or placed the gummies outside.
Barger told NBC San Diego that his home already had an unusual reputation in the neighborhood, with some residents referring to it as the “witch house” or “scary house.”
He also questioned why he would intentionally distribute expensive products to strangers.
“I looked it up and they’re like 20 bucks a piece,” Barger said, estimating that the gummies could have cost roughly $300 altogether.
He insisted that spending that much money to create a controversy made no sense.
The fathers, however, maintained that the packages had been sitting in a bowl accessible to children and said they regretted allowing their kids to approach the property.
“Looking back in retrospect, of course I wouldn’t stop at that house, but they had a bucket of candy,” Hunter said.
The parents subsequently contacted the San Diego Police Department and filed a report, triggering an investigation into how the suspicious gummies ended up on the porch.
Police Lt. Cesar Jimenez confirmed that authorities were examining the incident but stressed that investigators had not yet determined whether the packages contained illegal substances.
Laboratory testing will be necessary before police can establish whether a crime occurred or whether criminal charges are warranted.
That distinction is important because the packaging alone does not prove the gummies contained psilocybin, and investigators have not identified who placed them in the candy bowl.
Jimenez praised the fathers for accompanying their children, checking their Halloween treats and contacting authorities after discovering the suspicious items.
The incident has raised concerns about colorful packaging that can make products advertised as containing intoxicating substances appear similar to ordinary candy, particularly to young children.
Neither father reported that his children consumed the gummies, and no injuries have been reported in connection with the incident.
For Hunter and Cary, the discovery transformed what should have been a fun Halloween outing into a frightening reminder of how quickly an innocent mistake could become dangerous.
Authorities are continuing to investigate the packages’ contents and origins, while the parents are urging other families to inspect their children’s Halloween candy carefully.
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