Northeast Iowa Man Pleads Guilty in Tainted Lasagna Case

Like his female counterpart, a northeast Iowa man has pleaded guilty to targeting a pregnant woman with a pan of narcotics-laced lasagna.

In January, the Winneshiek County Sheriff’s Office (WCSO), along with other agencies, launched an investigation into reports of a tainted pan of lasagna, which was delivered to another family on December 28, 2025. The lasagna was confirmed to contain oxycodone, a Schedule II narcotic, according to testing by the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation Criminalistics Laboratory.

The lasagna was allegedly intended to induce a miscarriage in a pregnant woman, with 36-year-old Amber Snow and 35-year-old Matthew Uthoff, both of Decorah, identified as co-conspirators. Investigators say they linked them to the crime with evidence found in electronic communications and search histories.

WCSO arrested Snow March 10th on charges including delivering a controlled substance, attempted termination of a human pregnancy without consent, and four counts of administering harmful substances, all felonies. Snow was also charged with one count of child endangerment, an aggravated misdemeanor.

Uthoff was taken into custody on March 26th on similar charges.

Last month, Snow pleaded guilty to all seven counts in Winneshiek County District Court, with Judge Richard Stochl sentencing her to serve up to 10 years in prison at the Iowa Correctional Institute for Women in Mitchellville.

Uthoff was scheduled for trial on August 5th, but last week (06.30), during a  “further proceedings” hearing, he pleaded guilty to all charges.

In his petition to plead guilty, Uthoff stated that he and his wife, Amber Snow, crushed several pills of oxycodone, and he was instructed to put them into a lasagna that was being given to the family in December.

No sentencing date has been set for Uthoff.