Cops will reveal a bombshell twist in a mystery cake poisoning that killed three family members today.
Detectives have linked the tragic deaths to a long-running family feud involving the woman accused of baking the arsenic-laced treat.
Deise Moura, Zeli dos Anjos’ 39-year-old daughter-in-law, was arrested on Sunday on suspicion of three counts of murder and attempted murder.
Moura allegedly baked the deadly Christmas dessert at Zeli’s house before delivering it to a family gathering in Torres, Rio Grande do Sul, on December 23.
The case has taken a darker turn, with reports of previous disputes between Zeli and Deise.
Investigators now believe the poisoning was caused by a simmering family conflict.
Today’s press conference in Capão da Canoa is expected to reveal details of the alleged feud.
The festive gathering turned into a nightmare when Zeli’s two sisters, Maida, 58, and Neuza, 65, as well as Neuza’s 43-year-old daughter, Tatiana, became ill and died within hours.
Zeli, 61, and her 10-year-old great-nephew Matheus were both hospitalized, with Zeli still fighting for her life after consuming two slices of the poisoned cake.
Initial lab tests revealed high levels of arsenic in the blood of those who consumed the deadly dessert, which was described as having an unusual “spicy” and “peppery” flavour.
While arsenic is a highly toxic substance with no odor or taste, the spiciness detected is unusual for sweet cakes.
Police have since recovered ingredients from Zeli’s home, including dried fruits and flour, as well as pesticide, raising suspicions of deliberate contamination.
Moura has been remanded in custody at a women’s prison in Torres while the investigation continues.
Following the Christmas horror, it was revealed that Zeli’s husband died in September from suspected food poisoning.
Police did not consider Paulo Luiz’s death suspicious at the time, but detectives have confirmed that his body will be exhumed for a proper post-mortem examination.
Paulo reportedly died after eating mashed bananas from the family’s garden.
His death was initially ruled non-suspicious, but new information has prompted authorities to exhume his body on Thursday for further investigation.
Relatives believe the bananas were contaminated, but police suspect foul play.
The poisoning at the Christmas gathering has reignited questions about whether Zeli and her late husband were the targets of a sinister plot.
The police initially treated the tragedy as an accident, but Moura’s arrest has called that theory into question.
The three Christmas poisoning victims, Maida, Neuza, and Tatiana, died of cardiac arrest shortly after eating the dessert.
Tatiana’s 10-year-old son, Matheus, was treated in intensive care and only released last week.
Zeli, who is still in critical condition, reportedly consumed more of the tainted cake than the others.
Zeli reportedly said a haunting six words after her family ate the poisoned cake and complained about how “spicy” it tasted.
The woman reportedly placed her hand over the cake and stated, “No one will eat it anymore.”
Torres police chief Marcos Vinicius Veloso said detectives were looking into whether bacteria-infested currants and other spoiled foods used as toppings after a power outage could have been linked to the fatal poisonings.
It echoes the poisoned mushroom case in Australia, which killed three people last year.
Mum Erin Patterson served up a beef wellington that killed her former in-laws Don, 70, and Gail Patterson, 70, as well as Gail’s sister Heather Wilkinson, 66.
The 49-year-old will face a murder trial after pleading not guilty to all charges.
The Saga of ‘The Mushroom Cook’
However, while police continue to investigate the cake deaths, the so-called “Mushroom Cook” is set to face trial in April 2025.
Erin Patterson has pleaded not guilty after being accused of serving a lethal meal to her ex-in-laws.
She is charged with three counts of murder and five counts of attempted murder.
It is suspected that she fed them a meal laced with death cap mushrooms.
She served the beef Wellington to her ex-husband’s parents, Don and Gail Patterson, Gail’s sister Heather Wilkinson, and her husband Ian.
All four people became ill, and only Ian survived, sparking an international mystery.
Erin was nicknamed “The Mushroom Cook,” and police eventually charged her with murder and attempted murder.
She allegedly attempted to poison her ex-husband, Simon, three times between 2021 and 2022.
And it turned out she was an experienced forager who regularly picked her own mushrooms.
Erin has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing in the case.
