Texas Radiological Assault

In 1972, a man in Texas used radioactive sources to intentionally irradiate his 11-year-old son. The man had limited visitation rights following divorce from the child's mother in 1971. He obtained capsules from one or two cesium-137 oil and gas well logging sources, which he was licensed to use with a company. On several occasions, over a period of 7 months, he exposed his son to the capsules, which resulted in skin blisters, nausea, rashes, hair loss, and castration. The case was reported to law enforcement authorities on 31 January 1974, and the father was convicted in 1975.