The victims included Manoel Leandro da Silva, aged 18, his stepson Igno Davi da Silva, aged one year and eight months, stepdaughter Maria Lauane da Silva, aged three, wife Francisca Maria da Silva, aged 32, and stepdaughter Maria Gabriela da Silva, aged four, who all died.
Brazilian media reports dos Aflitos Silva confessed to poisoning her neighbour, Maria Jocilene da Silva, on 22nd January, in alleged attempts to divert suspicion from her partner.
The family members' tragic deaths followed a similar incident in late 2024, in which two other grandchildren, Joao Miguel Silva, aged seven, and Ulisses Gabriel Silva, aged eight, died after consuming a poisoned Christmas cake.
Maria dos Aflitos Silva and partner Francisco de Assis Pereira da Costa allegedly used terbufos - a highly toxic pesticide - to a traditional rice and beans dish eaten by her children and grandchildren.
In her confession to police, dos Aflitos Silva said that she found the poison behind the stove and put the entire contents in the coffee that she herself served to Maria Jocilene.
