According to a tweet, a US police investigation found that Xu Dawei had long-term been adding the heavy metal cadmium to Yuan Rong's food. It remains unclear what the specific cause and impact of this incident are.
After completing probation in March 2026, David Xu applied to have his felony conviction vacated. The victim opposed the application and released surveillance footage he had filmed himself in 2019, which shows Xu pouring liquid into a water bottle and then putting it back in place. The victim demanded nearly $500,000 in compensation, but the court awarded only $7,058.
California engineer David Xu slipped a liquid containing high concentrations of cadmium into a female coworker's water bottle between 2017 and 2019, causing her to suffer repeated serious health problems. Xu was originally charged with attempted murder and two counts of poisoning, but after a plea bargain he was convicted of only one count of poisoning and in 2024 was sentenced to two years of probation.