The late husband of a woman who baked an ‘arsenic-laced’ Christmas cake that killed her two sisters and niece is set to be exhumed by police over fears he may have been fatally poisoned months earlier.
Zeli Terezinha Silva dos Anjos, 61, from Torres, Brazil, prepared a traditional ‘Bolo de Natal’ Christmas cake for a festive family meal on December 23.
However, her sisters Maida, 58, and Neuza, 65, and Neuza’s daughter Tatiana, 43, all died shortly after eating it – with authorities later revealing that 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.
Police are now preparing to dig up the body of Zeli’s late husband, Paulo Luiz, who died from a suspected bout of food poisoning in September.
It comes as suspicion falls upon Zeli after the festive tragedy, as Brazilian authorities seek to determine whether she intentionally poisoned her loved ones.
It’s believed Zeli has spoken to detectives from her hospital bed. However, she has not yet been arrested or charged with any offence.
Seven members of the family were eating the cake in Zeli’s home on the coast of Brazil. 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 the symptoms of which cause nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea.
Officer Marcos Vinicius Veloso, who is leading the case, said there are no records of inheritance disputes or rows between family members.
It is believed Zeli ate two cake slices and was the first one to be taken to hospital after becoming severely ill – where she remains in stable condition.
She has reportedly told police she bought some the ingredients on Monday before the gathering.
Police have not yet determined whether the victims were poisoned.
Tatiana and Maida are believed to have both suffered fatal heart attack while, Neuza died from ‘shock after food poisoning’.
According to the police officer on the case, arsenic was found in Neuza’s body as well as two other victims who survived.
Neighbours in the area will be interviewed by officers.
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.
Zeli is thought to have told the authorities about the time and place where the ingredients were purchased.
A police statement to local network, Globo, said: ‘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.’
It’s understood that once Zeli has been released from hospital, she will be further questioned by investigators from the Civil Police.
Officials from the Hospital Nossa Senhora dos Navegantes de Torres said Tatiana and Maida both died from ‘cardiac arrest’.
While Neuza’s cause of death has been disclosed as ‘shock after food poisoning’.
The 10-year-old boy is believed to be in a stable condition following the tragedy.
Maida is understood to have been a teacher. Tributes have since been paid following her death, with friends hailing her a ‘wonderful person’.
One co-worker and friend wrote: ‘She was my colleague, she is my friend and my sweetheart! To be special and much loved by us all!! It’s unbelievable… strength to all of us, friends and family.’
The tragedy in Brazil follows a case in in which a woman has been accused of killing her in-laws by allegedly poisoning them with wild mushrooms.
Erin Patterson, 48, is said to have invited her former partner Simon Patterson to her home for the meal on July 29. 2023, with his parents Gail and Tom Patterson, 70, along with Gail’s sister Heather Wilkinson and her husband Ian, 68.
A day later, all four guests fell ill. Within a week, three would be dead, the fourth fighting for his life and the 48-year-old woman who cooked the lunch questioned by police amid claims she deliberately poisoned her relatives with wild mushrooms.
Patterson, who did not suffer any ill effects from the meal, previously claimed she had no idea the mushrooms she served were death caps – the most poisonous mushrooms in the world.
However, the 49-year-old has since been charged with three counts of murder and five counts of attempted murder. She has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
Her trial is expected to start on April 28, 2025, in the supreme court, sitting in Morwell.