Cynthia Ann McGee, a 19-year-old from Dublin, Ohio and a member of the University of Illinois gymnastics team, died on January 15, 1984, while recovering from injuries after being struck by a car in Illinois. She had been hospitalized at Ohio State University Hospital in Columbus for treatment after the bicycle-vehicle collision. Initially her death was blamed on complications from the accident, but later investigation found she had been injected with a lethal dose of potassium.

Authorities identified Michael J. Swango, then a 29-year-old intern at the hospital, as the person who injected Cynthia. A nurse reported seeing Swango enter her room with a syringe just before Cynthia’s condition worsened. Swango later admitted in Franklin County Common Pleas Court in 2000 to injecting her with potassium; he pleaded guilty to aggravated murder. Cynthia’s death was one of several suspicious patient fatalities at Ohio State University Hospital during 1983–1984 linked to Swango.