Police issue major update as three women die after eating 'arsenic-laced' Christmas cake
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Police have officially launched a homicide probe into the deaths of three people after they ate Christmas cake which is believed to have been laced with arsenic. Brazilian police have launched a murder probe over three deaths from an 'arsenic-laced Christmas cake' as they have also found a 'mysterious white liquid' in the baker's home. Zeli Terezinha Silva dos Anjos, 61, baked the cake which led to six members of the same family falling unwell, with three dying.
Detectives stated that at the moment, the case is likely manslaughter — but they are also investigating if the toxic cake was an intentional homicide. Zeli, who baked the Bolo de Natal traditional cake, also consumed two slices and fell ill. She currently remains in hospital in Torres, Brazil.
However, Zeli's two sisters Maida, 58, and Neuza, 65, along with her niece Tatiana, 43, all died after consuming the festive desert on December 23. Zeli's 10-year-old great nephew was also hospitalised after eating a piece of the cake, and another unnamed family member — believed to be Tatiana's husband — has been released. A seventh member of the family at the party, did not consume any of the cake and escaped sickness.
In connection with the probe, police are planning to exhume the body of Zeli's husband, Paulo Luiz, who died in September from suspected food poisoning. Marcos Vinicius Veloso, who is the leading investigator, announced that the case had been upgraded to homicide. He said that police had taken 10 statements from other family members, but for now, there is "no malicious conduct", reports The Sun.
