Police update as 3 women die after eating ‘arsenic-laced’ Christmas cake

Detectives are probing the deaths of three people who reportedly died after they ate Christmas cake allegedly laced with arsenic. Police in Brazil are investigating after allegedly finding a ‘mysterious white liquid’ in the baker’s home.

Zeli Terezinha Silva dos Anjos, 61, is said to have baked the cake, which led to six members of the same family falling unwell. Three of them died.

Police are currently looking at a manslaughter case but are investigating if it was intentional homicide. Zeli also ate two slices of the Bolo de Natal traditional cake and fell ill.

It is believed she remains in hospital in Torres, Brazil, and Mirror reports. Zeli’s sisters Maida, 58, and Neuza, 65, along with her niece Tatiana, 43, died on December 23.

Her 10-year-old great nephew was also hospitalised, while another unnamed family member — believed to be Tatiana’s husband — has been released from hospital. A seventh member of the family did not eat any of the cake and did not fall ill.

Police are planning to exhume the body of Zeli’s husband, Paulo Luiz, who died suddenly in September from suspected food poisoning. They want to see if there is a connection.

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Marcos Vinicius Veloso, who is the leading investigator, said police had taken 10 statements from relatives. But officers at this stage believe there was ‘no malicious conduct’, reports The Sun.

Detectives raided six properties of people involved in the poisoning on Friday. In Zeli’s home, they are said to have found 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 indicated 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 disputes between relatives.

Police interviewed Zeli from her hospital bed, where she shared that she had bought many of the ingredients for the cake on Monday, December 23. Police found many foods eaten by the family at the house had expired, including a jar of mayonnaise that was a year out-of-date.

Officers are said to have found an empty bottle of tablets and a bottle of white liquid. Zeli will be questioned again once she has been released from hospital.

The family had gathered in Torres, southern Brazil, where they had coffee and ate the festive treat on December 23. Several people began falling ill shortly after eating the cake, it is understood.

Tatiana and Maida are understood to have died shortly after consuming the cake. Neuza was hospitalised in a critical condition and died the following day.

Maida and Neuza were sisters of Zeli, while Tatiana is believed to be Neuza’s daughter. According to the hospital, Nossa Senhora dos Navegantes de Torres, Tatiana, and Maida both died from cardiac arrest.

Neuza reportedly died due to ‘shock after food poisoning’.

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