An official homicide probe has been launched by Brazilian police following the deaths of three women after eating a festive cake believed to be laced with arsenic
Police have officially launched a homicide probe into the deaths of three people after they ate Christmas cake which is believed to have been laced with arsenic.
Brazilian police have launched a murder probe over three deaths from an ‘arsenic-laced Christmas cake’ as they have also found a ‘mysterious white liquid’ in the baker’s home. Zeli Terezinha Silva dos Anjos, 61, baked the cake which led to six members of the same family falling unwell, with three dying.
Detectives stated that at the moment, the case is likely manslaughter — but they are also investigating if the toxic cake was an intentional homicide. Zeli, who baked the Bolo de Natal traditional cake, also consumed two slices and fell ill. She currently remains in hospital in Torres, Brazil.
However, Zeli’s two sisters Maida, 58, and Neuza, 65, along with her niece Tatiana, 43, all died after consuming the festive desert on December 23. Zeli’s 10-year-old great nephew was also hospitalised after eating a piece of the cake, and another unnamed family member — believed to be Tatiana’s husband — has been released. A seventh member of the family at the party, did not consume any of the cake and escaped sickness.
In connection with the probe, police are planning to exhume the body of Zeli’s husband, Paulo Luiz, who died in September from suspected food poisoning. Marcos Vinicius Veloso, who is the leading investigator, announced that the case had been upgraded to homicide. He said that police had taken 10 statements from other family members, but for now, there is “no malicious conduct”, reports The Sun.
Detectives also raided six properties of people involved in the poisoning, on Friday and it was in Zeli’s home they discovered an unidentified bottle of ‘whitish liquid’. The liquid has since been sent for examination by the Toxicology Information Centre.
Traces of arsenic — a toxic heavy metal usually used in insecticides and rat poison — were found in the blood of all three victims. Another report states that police are looking into whether the poison may have been added by mistake.
The family were reportedly happy, and there are no records of rows or disputes between family members. However, Zeli’s husband died suddenly in September, after a suspected bout of food poisoning. Following for the cake tragedy, police want to re-examine his death to see if there is a connection.
Zeli has been interviewed by police from her hospital bed, where she shared that she had bought many of the ingredients for the cake on Monday, December 23. Despite this, police found many foods eaten by the family at the house, were expired, including a jar of mayonnaise that was a year out-of-date.
Police also found a bottle of tablets which was empty, and a mysterious bottle of white liquid. Zeli will be further questioned, once she has been released from hospital.
The group of family members had gathered in Torres, southern Brazil, where they had coffee and ate the festive treat on December 23. However, shortly after eating the cake, several people became sick.
Victims Tatiana and Maida are understood to have died shortly after consuming the cake. The third victim, Neuza was hospitalised in a critical condition and died the following day.
Maida and Neuza were sisters of Zeli and according to reports, Tatiana was said to be Neuza’s daughter. According to the Hospital Nossa Senhora dos Navegantes de Torres, Tatiana and Maida both died from cardiac arrest, while Neuza reportedly died due to ‘shock after food poisoning’.
