THREE women fell seriously ill and died after eating a Christmas cake at a family gathering.
On December 23, the dos Anjos family gathered in Torres, Brazil, to celebrate Christmas on what should have been a joyous occasion.
But the festive celebrations soon turned into a tragedy after guests ate a cake.
Two women from the family, Tatiana Denize Silva dos Anjos, 43, and Maida Berenice Flores da Silva, 58, passed away the same day they ate the dessert.
Meanwhile, Neuza Denize Silva dos Anjo, 65, was rushed to hospital in critical condition before tragically dying the following day.
It is understood that three more family members also became unwell after eating the cake, including a 10-year-old boy.
The festive cake was reportedly baked by Maida and her sister, Zeli Terezinha Silva dos Anjos, 61, who is currently in hospital.
Seven family members gathered to consume the cake at Zeli’s home and only one person didn’t eat the cake.
Officer Marcos Vinicius Veloso is leading the investigation to determine the cause of death of three women, and the Civil Police are waiting for the results.
Zeli is believed to have consumed two slices of the cake and was the first to be taken to hospital after becoming severely ill.
She has provided information to authorities about the time and place where the ingredients were purchased.
Cops have also opened another investigation prompting the exhumation of the body of Zeli’s husband.
The case surrounding his death will be evaluated after he passed away in September due to food poisoning.
Once Zeli has been discharged from the hospital, she will be questioned further.
According to the Hospital Nossa Senhora dos Navegantes de Torres, Tatiana and Maida both died from cardiac arrest.
Neuza’s cause of death has been disclosed as “shock after food poisoning”.
Maida, Neuza and Zeli were sisters and Tatiana was Neuza’s daughter.
Zeli and the 10-year-old boy, who has not been named, remain in hospital in stable condition.
The sixth family member, who has not been named but is believed to be Maida’s husband, has been discharged from hospital.
Neighbours at her home will also be interviewed by police.
A friend of one of the people who died told a local news channel it was a traditional cake that the family made every year.
Police have carried out an examination of the food eaten by the family and other items in the house, and many of them were expired.
A police statement, as reported globo.com, said: “We even have information that there was mayonnaise there that had expired a year ago.
“There were expired products in the residence.
During the investigation, they found a bottle that was supposed to contain capsules but instead had a white liquid. This liquid will also be analyzed to gather more information.
