THE Christmas cake that killed three women in Brazil was allegedly made with arsenic-laced flour, police have revealed today.
The sole suspect, identified locally as Deise Moura, the daughter-in-law of Zeli dos Anjos, has been arrested on suspicion of murder and attempted murder.
Moura allegedly baked the deadly Christmas dessert at Zeli’s home before bringing it to a family gathering in Torres, in Rio Grande do Sul state, on December 23.
The poisoned cake claimed the lives of Zeli’s sisters Maida, 58, and Neuza, 65, as well as Neuza’s daughter, Tatiana, 43.
The three victims of the Christmas poisoning died of cardiac arrest shortly after eating the dessert.
Tatiana’s 10-year-old son Matheus, Zeli’s great nephew, was also taken into intensive care and only released from hospital last Friday.
Zeli, who ate two slices of the cake, remains in hospital but is now stable and expected to be quizzed by cops soon.
Maida’s husband Jefferson was the other relative hospitalised along with Zeli, who ate two slices of cake and is said to have been exposed to more of the arsenic it contained.
Local police chief Marcus Vinicius Muniz Veloso refused to confirm the identity of the woman in custody.
But he said the suspect disrupted an otherwise “harmonious” family dynamic and have “robust evidence” linking her to the crime.
Veloso said: “The family relationship was harmonious but there were disagreements caused by only one person and that person was investigated and we were able to build up evidence pointing to her committing three murders and three attempted murders.
“I can tell you those differences I’m talking about date back 20 years. They were very minor.
“The family told us about those disagreements.”
Forensic tests confirmed the arsenic came from flour found in Zeli’s home, with contamination levels 2,700 times higher than normal.
Blood and stomach analyses showed fatal arsenic levels, up to 350 times the naturally occurring amount.
Margaret Mittman, Director of the Rio Grande do Sul General Forensic Institute, explained: “We analysed 89 samples, and one sample of flour contained extremely high levels of arsenic—65 grams per kilogram of flour.”
The cake itself was highly toxic, Mittman confirmed.
“The levels of arsenic in the cake were so high that it’s impossible to attribute them to the natural degradation of an ingredient.
“Our tests conclusively show the source of contamination was the flour.”
State security minister Sandro Caron added: “We have very strong indications that the person who has been arrested is the perpetrator.
“Some details cannot yet be disclosed so as not to hinder the continuity of the investigation, but we have obtained very good information pointing to the person who was arrested yesterday being the perpetrator and acting maliciously.”
Investigators have uncovered minor family disputes dating back 20 years but have yet to confirm a motive.
The suspect could remain in custody for up to 60 days as the case progresses.
Meanwhile, a separate food poisoning case in Parnaiba, in the northeast of Brazil, is under investigation after a New Year’s Day meal was found to contain rat poison.
The meal claimed the lives of one-year-old Igno Davi da Silva and his uncle Manoel, 18, while seven others, including Igno’s siblings, remain hospitalised.
Tests ruled out poison in donated fish the family had eaten but confirmed the presence of a pesticide in leftover rice.
Police chief Abimael Silva said, “We understand there was an intention to put this substance in their food, and we are starting a murder investigation. Natural or accidental causes have been ruled out.”
This follows another poisoning tragedy in the same family last year.
Two children, aged seven and eight, died after eating nuts laced with insecticide, allegedly given to them by a neighbour accused of double homicide.
