Three members of a Brazilian family have died after eating cake at a Christmas party. The cake has been determined to have had arsenic in it.
A woman named Zeli Silva Don Anjos (61) baked the cake that was eaten.
Seven people were at the party – three died and four survived.
The type of cake is called ‘Bolo de Natal’ – basically a fruit cake. This is an actual photo of the cake that the family ate:
The three victims are:
Maida Bernice Flores da Silva (58)
Neuza Denise Silva Dos Anjos (65)
Tatiana Silvia Dos Santos (43). Tatiana was Neuza’s daughter.
Zeli (the cake maker) and her great nephew Mateus (10) also ate the cake, but both survived.
A relative of one of the victims said: ‘Zeli is horrified by what’s happened. She is overcome with guilt because it was her cake that caused the tragedy, but we keep telling her not to worry and that it was an accident.”
‘We said she shouldn’t blame herself, but she is getting so anxious it’s not doing her recovery any good. She is getting worse instead of getting better. She is on a ventilator to help her breathe and we don’t know when she will be discharged.’
Family members have told the media that Zeli baked the same cake every year. The family would also hold an annual Christmas get-together.
For this year’s party, two cakes were made. One by Zeli and one by Maida. Both cakes were placed on the table for the party, but the group decided to eat Zeli’s cake first as it was tradition that she would make one every year. They did not cut into Maida’s cake.
Within minutes of eating the cake, people began to feel unwell.
A family member said ‘Within a few minutes they were all saying it had a bitter sour taste and by this time Zeli had eaten two slices but as soon as everyone started to complain she said ‘Stop, no one eat any more.’
However, a short while later everyone who had eaten the cake was doubled up in agony vomiting. Ambulances were called to the apartment.
The only guest not to suffer any ill effects was Neuza’s husband Joao who didn’t eat cake. Jefferson, Maida’s husband was taken to hospital but was discharged after a few hours.
The party was held on December 23. Maida was the first to pass away, on December 24 – Christmas Eve. Neuza died a few hours later on the same day. Tatiana was the final family member to pass away. Neuza passed away from ‘shock after food poisoning’ while Tatiana and Maida died after they went into cardiac arrest. Their funerals were held on Christmas Day and Boxing Day – December 25 and 26.
Family members have spoken about what happened and how they do not believe Zeli poisoned the cake.
‘Zeli is just such a wonderful warm person, she is full of life and love, I won’t say a bad word about her, she is just such a kind helpful human being, and this is nothing more than a mistake.’
When asked what she thought might have happened, family member Isabel wiped away tears and said: ‘It’s hard for us to say, we just don’t know anything, we’ve seen the reports about arsenic, but Zeli wouldn’t have poisoned anyone.”
This was not the first tragedy that the family had suffered in 2024. In September, Zeli’s husband Paulo died from what was deemed food poisoning. There had been horrible floods in the area earlier in the year, and it was originally thought that he ate bananas that were contaminated by chemicals following the flood.
A family member spoke about Paulo’s death. ‘They woke up as usual and Paulo went to make coffee while she mashed up some bananas for their breakfast.
‘They ate them with a little bread and drank the coffee and then went for a walk but after a few minutes he said he didn’t feel well and then started to vomit and a few minutes later she started to vomit as well.
‘A neighbour saw them being sick and called an ambulance and they went to hospital. Zeli recovered quickly but Paulo just got worse and eventually died. We all said at the time the bananas must have been contaminated by the flood waters.’
Police have since begun the process to have Paulo’s body exhumed.
According to the BBC, Zeli is not considered a suspect in either poisoning case at this time.
‘We have a cousin who is a chemist, and he said that there is no way such a large amount of arsenic could have been produced by out-of-date ingredients, so it makes us wonder if someone tampered with it.’
Isabel added: ‘It’s strange that just our family is involved though. Even the policeman said he’d never seen a case like this.
‘You have to wonder if it is something deliberate from someone, but it won’t be Zeli. I think if this is a deliberate action, it will be someone with a grudge against the family, but I have no idea who that could be – or what their motive is.’
When the floods happened in May 2024, Zeli and Paulo were forced to move out of their home. Family members said that they were given donations to help them get back on their feet.
‘They lost everything, and they were given a lot of donations like everyone else.
‘They had food and pots and pans and maybe somehow the ingredients they were given had already been tampered with by some bad person, it’s possible but we can definitely say it wasn’t Zeli.
‘Maybe it was someone who was mentally ill, maybe someone was being cynical and put the poison in the ingredients and then donated the food.’
Another relative who asked not to be named, told MailOnline: ‘When the floods came through the factories and chemical plants were badly hit and containers were washing up along the streets.
‘We were told there was no danger and everything was being properly handled by the army, but now after the cake and Paolo’s death in September from the banana we are beginning to think there is some connection.
‘The stocks of raw materials were all lost and ended up in the water and this could easily have contaminated the soil and any pots and pans it touched especially if these chemical plants used arsenic.”
Doctors issued a statement about Zeli’s condition on New Year’s Day. They said that she was still in intensive care and ‘was stable but that her ventilatory function had worsened’.
After the incident, the cake was sent for testing. Media reports indicate that traces of arsenic were found in it. Info about arsenic is from the BBC:
What is arsenic?
Arsenic is a metallic element that occurs naturally.
Its inorganic form is highly toxic and classified as a category one carcinogen by the EU – meaning it’s known to cause cancer in humans.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), people are exposed to elevated levels of inorganic arsenic through drinking contaminated water or using it in food preparation, as well as irrigation of crops, industrial processes and smoking tobacco.
Because arsenic exists in soil, small amounts can get into food, though in general these levels are so low that they are not considered a cause for concern.
It is also used, albeit in limited cases, in pesticides and pharmaceuticals.
Torres-based police chief Marcos Vinicius Veloso spoke about the investigation. There is a theory that the poisoning could be linked to the use of contaminated foods following a power cut: ‘With the evidence we have collected, we do not know whether the poisoning was negligent or intentional.
‘So far, I have not been able to find any intentional conduct. However, other evidence that comes to light may contradict what I think now.
‘This is an investigation that requires great caution.’
On January 5, 2025, Zeli’s daughter-in-law, identified only as “Deise,” was arrested on suspicion of triple homicide and triple attempted homicide.
Police told CNN that Deise had disagreements with her family for more than two decades.
We also learned some more about the levels of arsenic found in the victims.
Police said large amounts of arsenic were registered in the bodies of the three women who died, with expert analysis showing high levels in their urine and stomach samples.
“The arsenic levels in these samples are so high that they are considered toxic and lethal. And that explains the cause of death,” Marguet Mittmann, director general of the General Institute of Expertise, a public security body working with the police, said at the press conference.
The victim whose body contained the lowest concentration of arsenic still registered 80 times the amount permitted in food – and the victim with the highest concentration had 350 times the permitted amount.
“These concentrations are so high that it’s impossible to consider it a natural contamination,” added Mittmann.
UPDATE – JANUARY 12, 2025:
We have learned Deise, the daughter in law of baker Zeli, apparently laced the flour with arsenic.
We also learned that Paulo’s exhumation has taken place and that his remains contain traces of arsenic.
Sources at the IGP, the Brazilian Institute for Forensic study, said traces of arsenic were found in his ‘heart, stomach and intestines’.
Paulo died without leaving a will and ‘with assets’ according to his death certificate.
In prosecution papers released to the Brazilian media, it has now been alleged that Deise had taken the bananas to the couple’s home as a ‘peace offering’ after not speaking to her in-laws for three and a half years in an ‘attempt at building bridges’.
A source told MailOnline: ‘After the bananas incident, Zeli’s sister Maida was suspicious and urged her to take the fruit to a lab for testing, but Zeli refused.
Police have told MailOnline Deise’s feud with her mother-in-law began in 2004 after Zeli withdraw money from her son Diego’s account without telling him and angering his wife.
A source said: ‘The money was eventually paid back but things and despite attempts at trying to patch things up over the years things didn’t really improve.
‘Deise and her husband would boycott family gatherings and his side of the family didn’t go to Deise’s graduation ceremony.
‘They would spend Christmas apart and block each other on the phone, the last time they met was four years ago when they tried to make a go of it but it didn’t work.’
SOURCE LIST
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c623lerlr19o
https://people.com/brazil-christmas-cake-deaths-arsenic-family-members-noticed-spicy-flavor-8770740