In a tragic incident on Christmas Eve, three women died after consuming a cake containing arsenic in the city of Torres, located in the southern state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. The victims included sisters Maida and Neuza, along with Neuza's daughter Tatiana. The cake, made by 60-year-old Zeli dos Anjos, led to the hospitalization of six individuals, although one person abstained from eating it. Zeli dos Anjos herself is currently in critical condition in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU).
Authorities identified the flour used in the cake as the contamination source, with arsenic levels discovered to be alarmingly high. The concentration reached up to 2,700 times the permitted limit in food. Marguet Mittmann, director general of the General Institute of Expertise, stated that the arsenic levels found were both toxic and lethal.
“The arsenic levels in these samples are so high that they are considered toxic and lethal. And that explains the cause of death,” said Marguet Mittmann, director general of the General Institute of Expertise.
The investigation revealed that the arsenic concentrations in the victims' bodies were so elevated that natural contamination was ruled out as a possibility. Even the lowest concentration detected was 80 times higher than what is considered safe for consumption, while the highest reached an astonishing 350 times the permitted amount.
“These concentrations are so high that it’s impossible to consider it a natural contamination,” remarked Marguet Mittmann.
Police have arrested a suspect in connection with this case—a daughter-in-law of Zeli dos Anjos—who has been charged with triple homicide and three attempted homicides. The suspect had longstanding disagreements with her family, which have persisted for over two decades.
Expert analyses confirmed that large amounts of arsenic were present in the bodies of the three deceased women, as evidenced by urine and stomach sample tests. These findings led to the suspect's arrest on Sunday.
