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Woman arrested for murder after arsenic-laced Christmas cake kills 3 family members
Brazilian Police have arrested a woman in connection with the Christmas cake poisoning that led to the death of three people.
Brazilian Police have arrested a woman in connection with the Christmas cake poisoning that led to the death of three people. According to CNN, three women died and three others fell ill after eating the Christmas cake on December 23 in Torres, a small seaside town in southern Brazil.
Authorities had discovered arsenic in the blood of three of the family members, CNN Brasil reported.
The police official in charge of the investigation, Marcos Veloso, told a press conference on Monday that there was "strong evidence" incriminating the family member who was arrested.
Her identity was not revealed by the police, but Brazilian media reported she was the daughter-in-law of the woman who prepared the cake.
What happened on December 23?
On December 23, several members of the Brazilian family gathered together to celebrate the holiday season.
According to the police, seven people were in the room when the cake was served. Six people ate the cake, one person refused. All six who ate the cake later fell ill, and three died.
The traditional Brazilian Christmas cake, called Bolo de Natal, was prepared by Zeli Dos Anjos. The 60-year-old woman is still fighting for her life in the hospital. Her two sisters and niece died after eating the cake, which is believed to have been laced with arsenic.
While eating the cake, guests noticed it had a “spicy” and “unpleasant” taste. Anjos asked them to stop eating it, but by then it was too late.
Police in Brazil arrested the daughter-in-law of Zeli dos Anjos on Sunday, January 5.
A police spokesman said: “The woman was arrested for triple homicide and a triple attempted homicide.
“She was taken initially to a police station at Canoas, then to Torres police station and is now in the women’s jail in the city, at this moment we cannot say anything else.”
Expert analyses found high levels of arsenic -- a naturally occurring and extremely toxic element -- in the victims' blood, the remaining slices of cake, and the flour used to bake it.
G1 reported that the suspect, who was not named by the police, had researched about arsenic on the internet before the incident.
(With inputs from AFP)
