Three Members of Brazilian Family Die After Eating Christmas Cake... Suspect Is Daughter-in-Law

Toxic Substance 'Arsenic' Found in Cake
3 of 6 People Who Ate Cake Die
Suspect Daughter-in-Law Has Had Family Feud for Over 20 Years

In Brazil, a family became embroiled in controversy after three members died from eating a Christmas cake containing the toxic substance arsenic, with the victim's daughter-in-law identified as the suspect in the case.

According to foreign media including CNN on the 6th (local time), local police in the Torres region of the southern state of Rio Grande do Sul revealed that the daughter-in-law of one of the victims, 60-year-old Zeli dos Anjos, is the main suspect in the incident.

Provided by Rio Grande do Sul State Police, Brazil

At the time of the incident, seven people were in the room, and six of them who ate the cake collectively complained of stomach pain and were taken to the hospital. Among them, three women?sisters Maida and Neuza, and Neuza's daughter Tatiana?died while receiving treatment at the hospital. The remaining three, including Anjos, are being treated in the intensive care unit. One person who did not eat the cake showed no symptoms.

The suspect, Anjos's daughter-in-law, is known to have had serious conflicts with the family for over 20 years. She has been charged with three counts of murder and three counts of attempted murder.

Local police stated that lethal levels of arsenic were detected in the bodies of the three deceased women. Arsenic, a highly toxic substance, is classified as a Group 1 carcinogen that causes skin cancer, lung cancer, and bladder cancer. The concentration of arsenic found in the victims' bodies was investigated to be between 80 and up to 350 times the permissible limit. Additionally, police announced that the flour used in the cake contained arsenic at 2,700 times the allowable limit, concluding that the flour was the cause of this incident.