A woman in Brazil fed her family an arsenic-laced Christmas cake, killing three female relatives and hospitalizing three others, cops say.
The identity of the woman — who was charged with triple homicide — was not announced by police, but local media reported that she was the daughter-in-law of the woman who unknowingly helped prepare the tainted cake.
The suspect researched arsenic on the internet before the incident, officials confirmed to RBS TV.
The toxic cake immediately killed Tatiana Denize Silva dos Anjos, 43, and Maida Berenice Flores da Silva, 58. They both died from cardiac arrest after eating the Bolo de Natal – a Brazilian Christmas cake – during the family’s holiday celebration in Torres on Dec. 23.
A piece of this traditional family Christmas cake proved deadly for three female relatives in Brazil. RS Civil Police
Tatiana Denize Silva dos Anjos, 43, was among the dead. Jam Press
The third fatal victim, Neuza Denize Silva dos Anjos, Tatiana’s 65-year-old mother, was reported dead the next day, on Christmas Eve, with her cause of death being ruled as a “shock after poisoning,” according to the Hospital Nossa Senhora dos Navegantes de Torres.
Analysts found traces of arsenic in the victims’ blood, the cake and the cake’s ingredients, said Marcos Veloso, a police official in charge of the investigation, at a press conference Monday.
Maida Berenice Flores da Silva, 58, also died. Jam Press
Neuza Denize Silva dos Anjos, Tatiana’s mother, died the next day. Jam PressVeloso said surviving family members recalled an “unpleasant” and “spicy” hint to the cake.
Zeli Terezinha Silva dos Anjos, 61, who unsuspectingly baked the cake, is still hospitalized but in stable condition. The other two family members hospitalized, a husband and 10-year-old boy, have since been discharged.
As the investigation continues, local media reported that police have ordered the body of Zeli’s deceased husband be exhumed. He died in September from food poisoning, and his death was ruled natural at the time.
The forensic police director of the southern state of Rio Grande do Sul, Marguet Mittman, said there were copious amounts of arsenic found in the three victims — with up to 350 times higher the amount necessary to kill a person found in one of them.
Victim Zeli Terezinha Silva dos Anjos poses here with late husband Paulo Luiz, who died of food poisoning in September. Zeli Terezinha Silva dos Anjos/FacebookVeloso has yet to determine a motive but said that the family seemed to have a “very harmonious” relationship, although it could have been tested by persistent “differences.”
While arsenic is usually a naturally occurring element, people don’t just accidentally stumble across enough to kill someone.
Very low levels of it are found in a variety of food products, according to the National Institutes of Health. It appears naturally in soil, water, and even air, so many food products like seafood and rice absorb it before they are processed.
Inorganic arsenic has been labeled by the Environmental Protection Agency as a carcinogen, or a substance that causes cancer.
