The Christmas meal turned into tragedy in the town of Torres in Brazil, in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, when six members of the same family were victims of suspicious food poisoning. Three of them died, and a woman in the family is now accused of intentionally adding arsenic to the cake, local authorities announced on Monday.
During a press conference, Commissioner Marcos Veloso spoke of “robust evidence” supporting the hypothesis of a triple homicide that occurred on December 23. Although the identity of the suspect has not been disclosed, Brazilian media report that she is the daughter-in-law of the cook who prepared the incriminated dessert.
Extreme concentration of arsenic
Analyzes carried out on the victims as well as on the remains of the cake and the flour used revealed extremely high concentrations of arsenic. “It only takes 35 micrograms of arsenic to cause death in a person. In one of the victims, we found a rate 350 times higher than this fatal dose,” detailed Marguet Mittman, director of the scientific police.
The guests would have noticed a “spicy” and “unpleasant” taste from the first bites, according to testimonies collected by the police. The 61-year-old cook reportedly immediately asked her family members to stop eating, but some had already consumed enough to become seriously intoxicated.
A unclear motive and perhaps another crime
Two of the family’s sisters, aged 58 and 65, as well as the eldest’s daughter, aged 43, died within hours of each other after being hospitalized. The third sister, who baked the cake, is still in hospital in stable condition. The husband of one of the victims and a 10-year-old child, also poisoned, were able to leave the hospital after receiving treatment.
For the moment, the motive for the crime remains unclear. “We have not yet established a precise motive, but there appear to be old differences despite generally harmonious relations within the family,” explained Commissioner Marcos Veloso. Furthermore, the police requested the exhumation of the body of the cook’s ex-husband, who died in September in similar circumstances described at the time as “food poisoning”. This new investigation could provide additional information.
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