A poisoned Christmas cake claimed three lives. The Brazilian police began investigating the murder after the mysterious. According to documents that revealed details of the tragedy, the family gathered on the afternoon of December 23 at a house in the beach resort of Arroio do Sal. Coffee and a cake baked by Zeli dos Anjos (60) were served. Some invitees realized the dessert had an “unusual” taste, he writes
After several guests complained about the spicy taste, the woman allegedly placed her hand on the cake and forbade its further consumption. “Nobody’s gonna eat it anymore.” said the senior. It didn’t take long for the first symptoms to appear. The woman’s sisters, 65-year-old Neuza dos Anjos and 58-year-old Maida da Silva, and Neuza’s 43-year-old daughter, Tatiana dos Santos, paramedics took him to the hospital for treatment.
Tatiana died on December 23rd, and Maida in the early hours of December 24th. Both went into cardiac arrest. Neuza died a few hours later. Zeli and her older sister’s 10-year-old grandson were hospitalized. Their condition was stabilized. Silva’s husband, who also ate the cake, was soon released home.
According to police documents, traces of toxic arsenic were found in the blood of the victims. Chief Marcos Veloso said investigators are looking into the possibility that fatal poisonings could be related to bacteria-infested raisins and other spoiled food. Local chemist Ubiracir Lima told Metropoles news portal that it is not possible for the ingredients used in the cake to “turn” into arsenic.
According to Zeli, the refrigerator in the house on the beach turned off due to a power outage. “When she entered the house, there was an unbearable smell. Some things, like meat, she threw away. However, she reused the rest,” Veloso said. “Based on the evidence gathered so far, we do not know whether it was a negligent or intentional poisoning,” he added.
This is not the first mysterious death in the pensioner’s family. The police decided to exhume the body of her ex-husband, who was supposed to have died of food poisoning in September. They want to investigate the cause of the man’s death again. Veloso emphasized that the woman is not currently a suspect in either case.
