The haunting six words uttered by a Brazilian woman after guests feasted on her poisoned Christmas cake, later killing three people, have been revealed.
The four remaining family members who consumed the contaminated desert during the holidays reportedly noticed that the desert had an “unusual” taste, according to police reports after a murder investigation was launched.
The victims, including Zeli dos Anjos, who baked the cake, took several bites and discovered that the cake had a “spicy” taste while the family gathered for an afternoon coffee on December 23, Marcos Veloso, head of the civil police of Rio Grande do Sul, to RBS. TV.
Dos Anjos, 60, stopped eating the traditional festive pastry known as ‘Bolo do Natal’ as her loved ones complained about it before they all got sick.
After several guests expressed concerns about the taste, the woman reportedly placed her hand on the cake and said, “No one will eat it anymore.”
Dos Anjos’ sisters, Neuza dos Anjos, 65, and Maida da Silva, 58, and Neuza’s daughter, Tatiana dos Santos, 43, were taken to Nossa Senhora dos Navegantes de Torres hospital for treatment.
Dos Santos died on the evening of December 23 and da Silva died in the early hours of December 24 after they both went into cardiac arrest.
Neuza died on the evening of December 24 – police attributed her death to “post-food poisoning shock.” Zeli dos Anjos and Neuza’s 10-year-old grandson remained hospitalized as of Monday.
Zeli dos Anjos (pictured) prepared the traditional ‘Bolo de Natal’ holiday treat during a family afternoon coffee on December 23 at her holiday home in the southeastern Brazilian city of Torres before she and six family members, including her two sisters, fell ill.
In the photo: the Christmas cake that was consumed by the guests on December 23
Neuza Denize Silva dos Anjo, 65, pictured left, was rushed to hospital in critical condition before also dying the next day. Maida Berenice Flores da Silva, 58, pictured right, also died
Tatiana Denize Silva dos Anjos, 43, pictured, died after eating Christmas cake on December 23
Silva’s husband ate the cake and received medical attention, but was later released.
DailyMail.com has contacted Dos Anjos for comment. Following the mysterious deaths, a murder investigation was launched.
Police Chief Veloso explained that some of dos Anjos’ loved ones were not keen on trying the cake – and only did so out of respect.
“According to some testimonies, there were people who did not even want to eat, but in order not to be rude to her (Zeli), who is considered a very affectionate person with her family, they finally ate,” Veloso said. .
Only after the 10-year-old boy grumbled about the taste of the cake did dos Anjos decide to intervene.
“She kind of put her hand on the cake, (and said), ‘And now no one will eat it,'” Veloso added. “And people started feeling sick at that point.”
Rio Grande do Sul’s civil police are analyzing traces of the toxic metal arsenic found in the blood of the victims.
Veloso said investigators are also looking into the possibility that bacteria-laden raisins and other tainted foods used as cake toppings after a power outage could be linked to the fatal poisonings.
Tributes have since been paid to Maida, a teacher, who has been praised as ‘amazing’ by friends
Dos Anjos, who is participating in the investigation, is said to have prepared the cake at a house in the seaside town of Arroio do Sal, a 35-minute drive south of Torres, where her sister Maida owed the apartment where they met last week. .
The retiree had not visited the residence for some time as she lived in her main home in Canoas, a two-hour drive inland.
Veloso previously told G1 sister news outlet Globo that dos Anjos discovered the refrigerator had been unplugged due to a “power outage.”
‘When she entered the building there was an unbearable smell. Some things in the refrigerator, perishable foods like meat, were thrown away,” Veloso said. ‘But other items were reused. What we’re trying to confirm is that some of those ingredients, like raisins and other crystallized fruits, could have been used in the cake a month later.”
Veloso also said they will exhume the body of Dos Antos’ former husband, who reportedly died of food poisoning in September, to determine the cause of death.
Local chemist Ubiracir Lima told Metropoles News Outlet that there was no way the expired ingredients used to prepare the cake could have turned into arsenic.
The sale of the poison is banned – and it is used as a pesticide sprayed on crops.
“There is a limited amount of arsenic for food, which is left,” Lima said.
‘If these limits are exceeded, we are talking about a deviation in agricultural practice or even an accident during the application of the pesticide.’
He suggested that during the preparation of the cake, a container containing arsenic may have been mistaken for one containing a food ingredient, or may have been placed on purpose.
‘For example, there may have been a mix-up with an unidentified container. Or perhaps a container was used to store arsenic and then used to store one of the cake ingredients,” Lima said.