A couple in their 30s had enjoyed a meal together on Christmas Eve when tragedy struck in Vietnam. We take a look at the final days of Greta Marie Otteson and Arno Els Quinton before drinking the fatal limoncello…
Newly-engaged, tragic Greta Marie Otteson and Arno Els Quinton couldn’t wait to spend their first Christmas in a new country.
Having moved to Vietnam just 10 months earlier, Greta, 33 and Arno, 36, had everything to live for before they were found dead in their guest house in Hoi An Town, Vietnam, on Boxing Day. The couple had allegedly been poisoned by methanol-laced limoncello.
Investigators found the “homemade” alcoholic digestif had been bought from a local restaurant on Christmas Eve, with two bottles delivered to the Hoi An Silverbell villa’s reception. “Police forensics established the limoncello was the source,” a person close to the family told The Times.
As the pair’s devastated friends and family try to come to terms with their loss, we piece together their tragic last days in Southeast Asia…
The lovebirds of three years met while living in Dubai. Greta, who is believed to be from Wales, ran a social media and content marketing agency called Not Sorry Socials while that Arno was a musician, barista and streamer. They moved to Vietnam for a new adventure last spring, with Greta sharing stunning images on Instagram alongside the caption: “Still pinching myself that I’m here.”
In July they registered for long-term residence and began running the Hoi An Silverbell hotel together. Just a matter of weeks before the tragedy, Arno asked Greta to be his wife. Announcing their engagement with a stunning beach photoshoot, she said simply: “spoiler I said yes”. Friends rushed to congratulate the pair, and on Christmas Eve they headed out to a restaurant before returning to their hotel and ordering the homemade limoncello from a separate eaterie at 10pm. According to Mail Online, an online picture showing the restaurant’s menu advertising the lemon liqueur, which hails from Italy, for 85,000 Vietnamese dong – the equivalent of £2.60 per shot.
Arno sent a pal a voice message hours before he died, sounding “super happy and excited about Christmas”. “I think their plans were just to be together and experience [Christmas] in a new country,” they said. “It’s very tragic.”
On Christmas Day, a family source told how Greta sent a chilling message to her parents saying she had the “worst hangover ever” and was seeing “black spots” in her vision. The couple are thought to have decided to “sleep off” their symptoms, and declined offers to take them to hospital.
“A local bar owner and a fantastic friend called over and wanted to take them to hospital but they refused,” said The Times’ source. “Sadly I think it was too late by then.” Tragically, Greta’s body was discovered when police broke into her room on Boxing Day. Arno was found dead in a separate room.
Police cordoned off the accommodation and launched an investigation into the tragedy. Methanol – which can be found in home-brewed alcohol if it’s not made correctly – is a toxic chemical that can cause blindness, brain damage, and death.
As devastated friends flooded their social media accounts with heartbreaking tributes, one stated: “Greta loved Arno unconditionally and was his bedrock, giving him the freedom to do what he needed to without a faltering foundation’.
He added: “There are two distinct things that are so prominent in my thoughts and that is her laugh and how much love they constantly [threw] at each other, regardless of who was around. They celebrated each other there and I know they will continue doing that, wherever they are.”
Arno’s friend Dayle Visser posted: “Rest in peace my brother. Thank you for always being the fierce friend you were. You saved me many a time. You were real and lived life harder than most people could ever dream of. I love you and I will always miss you.”
And another pal, Nick Frost, added: “I still feel like you had a lot more to give the world: your music, your comedy, your photography,” he wrote. “I’m so happy you and Greta are together.”
Sharing Arno’s one, poignant wish, he continued: “I remember the exact moment you told me: ‘Dude I wanna spend the rest of my life with this girl, I’m gonna ask her to marry me’. You guys really pulled through and did indeed spend the rest of your lives together, and now you get to spend the rest of whatever happens after that together too. Enjoy the Big Sleep my dear Arno and Greta.”