Man arrested for allegedly slaying woman with alternative medicine

A man wanted for using an alternative medical treatment that allegedly led to a Browns Valley woman’s death was arrested in Colorado on Wednesday.

Kevin Mihalik, 61, was charged in August with involuntary manslaughter in connection with the 2015 death of 64-year-old Jean Terry. He was arrested by U.S. Marshals and the Lafayette, Colo., Police Department; Mihalik is from Lafayette, according to a Yuba County Sheriff’s Office press release. He was booked into Boulder County Jail where he will await extradition to Yuba County.

Terry, who had breast cancer, had been receiving ozone and cesium therapy from Mihalik, who did not have a medical license. Mihalik visited Terry’s home to begin treatment and was observed giving her ozone treatments intravenously as well as injecting directly into what he advised were cancer tumors, court documents say. He was also preparing her meals, which consisted mainly of broth, which is recommended during cesium therapy.

Just weeks after beginning the treatment, Terry died in her home. Mihalik allegedly removed all ozone-producing equipment and cesium prior to a deputy arriving. He was interviewed as part of the coroner’s case and admitted that Terry paid him $5,000 to perform the therapies, according to court documents.

The coroner ruled her cause of death as probable acute cardiac arrhythmia due to cesium toxicity.

Cesium chloride is promoted as an alternative cure for cancer treatment, according to the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. Supporters claim that cesium neutralizes the toxic material produced by tumor cells and prevents them from dividing, but there is no scientific evidence to support the claims. The use of cesium brings the risk of cardiac arrhythmia. Ozone therapy is another alternative therapy which is said to increase the amount of oxygen in the body.

The case took nearly three years to file due to the amount of investigation needed, the Yuba County District Attorney’s Office said in August. The Yuba County Sheriff’s Office also recommended charging Mihalik with elder abuse and practicing medicine without a license, but the DA’S Office said the case did not have the elements necessary for those charges.