3 Women Die In Brazil After Eating Homemade Christmas Cake, Poisoning Suspected

In a tragic incident in Torres, Brazil, three family members died after consuming a homemade Christmas cake, leading authorities to investigate potential arsenic poisoning. 61-year-old Zeli Terezinha Silva dos Anjos prepared the cake for a family gathering on December 23, 2024. The victims included her sisters, Maida Berenice Flores da Silva (58) and Neuza Denize Silva dos Anjos (65), and her niece, Tatiana Denize Silva dos Anjos (43). Three other family members, including a 10-year-old boy, were hospitalised but are in stable condition.

Preliminary blood tests detected arsenic in the victims, prompting a deeper investigation. Authorities are also re-examining the death of Zeli’s husband, Paulo Luiz, who died from suspected food poisoning in September. His body is scheduled for exhumation to determine if his death was related to the recent poisonings, the New York Post reported. 

During the investigation, police discovered expired food products and a suspicious white liquid in a medicine bottle at Zeli’s residence. Zeli, who also fell ill after consuming the cake, is cooperating with authorities. There are no reported inheritance disputes among the family, and the motive behind the poisonings remains unclear.

“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,” police told Globo. 

The investigation is ongoing as authorities await further test results and continue to question neighbours and family members to uncover the circumstances surrounding these tragic events.

This incident has drawn parallels to a similar case in Australia. Erin Patterson, an Australian woman, became the centre of a high-profile legal case after a lunch she hosted resulted in the deaths of three guests and severe illness in a fourth. The meal reportedly included toxic death cap mushrooms, which are among the deadliest fungi in the world. The incident occurred in 2023 and led to extensive investigations, with Patterson charged with murder. She has consistently denied any intent to harm, claiming the poisoning was accidental.