Brazilian woman arrested for Christmas cake poisonings
In Porto Alegre, Brazil, a woman suspected of murdering three relatives and attempting to kill three more was arrested. Deise Moura added arsenic to a Christmas cake. The woman was detained at her home in Rio Grande do Sul.
Zeli Dos Anjos, Deise's mother-in-law, prepared the traditional holiday cake that killed three family members during a gathering in the town of Torres on 23 December. Brazilian prosecutors confirmed that an analysis of Deise Moura's phone showed internet searches related to arsenic. The suspect had reportedly sought information about the deadly substance as early as November and again a few days before committing the crime.
According to Brazilian media reports, evidence from Deise's phone is crucial to the case against her.
Ate cake with arsenic
Investigators confirmed that the cause of death for three and the poisoning of three more individuals was eating cake with high arsenic content. The harmful substance was present in the cake at a lethal concentration, which was too high to occur naturally.
The mother-in-law, who was likely the target of the criminal plan, is still fighting for her life in hospital. After consuming the cake, her 43-year-old daughter and two sisters died.
- We suspect that the detained person entered Zeli's house and contaminated the flour - revealed an investigating officer at a press conference. Police and forensic officers confirmed that "elevated levels" of arsenic were found in the cake as well as in the blood and urine of the deceased and survivors.
Family conflict as the cause
A long-standing family conflict likely drove the heinous crime. Police officers disclosed that "disagreements" between the suspect and her mother-in-law date back almost 20 years, but they refused to reveal details.
The officer revealed that we knew there had been minor disagreements between the suspect and family members over the years. At first glance, everyone at the gathering seemed to get along and be at peace, but as we expanded our investigation, we found motives that likely pushed the woman to take this step.
Police also confirmed that they plan to exhume the body of Zeli’s husband, Paulo, who died in September from "food poisoning", to determine if there were traces of arsenic in his body.
Source: Daily Mail
