Relative arrested after Christmas cake poisoning deaths in Brazil

Relative arrested after Christmas cake poisoning deaths in Brazil

An arrest has been made in Brazil in the case of a family who were poisoned on Christmas Eve after eating a cake laced with arsenic. The incident in the city of Torres, in southern Rio Grande do Sul state, left three people dead and three others hospitalized.

The main suspect and the circumstances of the incident

At a press conference on Monday, Rio Grande do Sul civil police confirmed that the daughter-in-law of one of the victims is the main suspect. According to the investigation, there were seven people in the room when the cake was served. One person didn't eat the cake, while the other six who did required hospitalization. The three women who died are sisters Maida and Neuza and Neuza's daughter, Tatiana.

Background to the arrest

The suspect, who was arrested on Sunday, is the daughter-in-law of Zeli dos Anjos, the 60-year-old woman who prepared the cake. According to CNN Brasil, there have been disputes between the suspect and her family for over two decades. She is charged with three counts of murder and three counts of attempted murder.

Medical findings and toxicological analyzes

Dos Anjos is currently in the intensive care unit, as is her 10-year-old great-nephew. Police found high levels of arsenic were detected in the bodies of the three deceased women, with expert analysis showing high levels in their urine and stomach samples. "The levels of arsenic in these samples are so high that they are classified as toxic and fatal. This explains the cause of death," Marguet Mittmann, director of the General Institute of Expertise, a security body that works with the police, said during the press conference.

Critical levels of arsenic

The victims had significant levels of arsenic: the one with the lowest level still had 80 times the amount allowed in food, while the victim with the highest concentration had 350 times. “These concentrations are so high that they cannot be considered natural contamination,” added Mittmann.

Results of the toxicological investigations

Police also confirmed that the poison was mixed into the cake by the flour used to prepare it, ruling out the possibility of food poisoning. Analyzes of the samples showed that the largest amount of arsenic detected in the flour used was 2,700 times higher than the permitted limit. Experts therefore conclude that the flour was the source of the contamination.

CNN's Michael Rios and Ju Faddul contributed to this report.