Baker's husband to be exhumed after 'arsenic-laced' Christmas cake kills three women
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The husband of a woman who baked a Christmas cake said to have contained arsenic is to be exhumed, police said. Zeli Terezinha Silva dos Anjos' partner Paulo Luiz died in September but his body will be dug up as part of the investigation into the deaths of Zeli's two sisters and niece. Maida, 58, and Neuza, 65, and Neuza's daughter Tatiana, 43, ate some of the festive cake Zeli baked on December 23 but fell ill and, after they died this week, traces of the toxic metal arsenic were found in their bodies.
Three other family members, including Zeli herself and a 10-year-old boy - believed to be Tatiana's son - fell ill and were also rushed to hospital in Torres, a coastal city in southern Brazil. Authorities there continue to investigate the deaths and confirmed Zeli, who is still in hospital, has not been arrested or charged with anything.
The police force's statement, given to local network Globo, said: "We opened a police investigation and we are going to exhume this man's body to check whether there was also poisoning. We even have information that there was mayonnaise there that had expired a year ago. There were expired products in the residence. A bottle was found, a medicine, which should have had capsules inside it and there were no capsules - there was a white liquid and this white liquid will also be examined.".
Seven members of the family ate the cake in Zeli's home on December 23, it is understood. Only one person, who has not been named, did not eat the festive bake. Blood tests carried out by doctors revealed arsenic in the blood of some of the victims, a potent poison which causes nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea. Police suspect poisoning but are yet to confirm whether this was the case.
