The woman who baked a “poisoned” Christmas cake that killed her two sisters and a niece just months after her husband also died from food poisoning has been photographed for the first time.
Zeli Terezinha Silva dos Anjos, 61, from Torres, Brazil, prepared a traditional Christmas cake for a festive family meal on December 23.
However, her sisters Maida Berenice Flores da Silva, 58, and Neuza Denize Silva dos Anjo, 65, and Neuza’s daughter Tatiana Denize Silva dos Anjos, 43, died after eating the cake.
Three other family members, including Zeli and a 10-year-old boy, felt unwell and were hospitalized.
Zeli’s husband, Paolo Luiz, reportedly died in September. However, Brazilian police have opened an investigation into his death and are seeking permission to unearth his body.
Doctors have also revealed that blood tests carried out on some of the victims revealed traces of the toxic metal arsenic.
The 10-year-old boy, believed to be Tatiana’s son, is believed to be in stable condition.
Seven family members ate the cake at Zeli’s house on the coast of Brazil. Only one person, whose name has not been identified, did not eat the cake.
The cake, which a family friend said was baked every year, was made by Maida’s other sister, Zeli Terezinha Silva dos Anjos, 61, pictured, who is in hospital.
Zeli, pictured, is believed to have eaten two slices of cake and was the first to be taken to hospital after becoming seriously ill.
The Christmas cake, in the photo, eaten by the three women before they died.
Blood tests performed by doctors also revealed arsenic in the blood of some of the victims, a potent poison whose symptoms cause nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.
A Christmas cake is a rich cake that is traditionally served without any decoration or simply garnished with candied fruit.
It is often confused with Portuguese King Cake, a sweet yeast cake.
The Brazilian recipe uses cane sugar and has glaze on top with the candied fruits.
What are the ingredients?
The ingredients of this cake are butter, eggs, brown sugar, orange juice or milk, grated zest, port wine, flour, baking powder, ground cinnamon, nutmeg, black raisins and candied exotic fruits cut into small cubes.
Source: flavorbrasil.it
Officer Marcos Vinicius Veloso, who is leading the case, said there are no records of inheritance disputes or disputes between family members.
Zeli is believed to have eaten two slices of cake and was the first to be taken to hospital after becoming seriously ill, where she remains in a stable condition.
He reportedly told police he purchased some of the ingredients on Monday before the meeting.
Police have not yet determined whether the victims were poisoned.
According to the Nossa Senhora dos Navegante Hospital, Tatiana and Maida died from cardiac arrest, while Neuza died from “shock after food poisoning.”
According to the police officer in charge of the case, arsenic was found in Neuza’s body and in that of two other victims who survived.
Neighbors in the area will be interviewed by agents.
A friend of one of the people who died told a local news canal was a traditional cake that the family made every year.
Police have carried out an examination of the food consumed by the family and other items in the house, and many of them were expired.
A police statement to local broadcaster Globo said: “We even have information that there was mayonnaise there that had expired a year ago.”
‘There were expired products in the residence. A bottle of medicine was found that should have capsules inside, but there were no capsules; there was a white liquid and this white liquid will also be examined.’
This comes after a woman was accused of killing her in-laws last year after she allegedly poisoned them with wild mushrooms in Australia.
Maida Berenice Flores da Silva, 58, pictured, died after eating the traditional cake on December 23.
Tatiana Denize Silva dos Anjos, 43, pictured, died after eating Christmas cake on December 23.
Neuza Denize Silva dos Anjo, 65, pictured, was rushed to hospital in critical condition before also dying the next day.
Maida Berenice Flores da Silva, 58, teacher, also after eating the Christmas cake on December 23 during the family reunion
The horrific poisoning occurred in the city of Torres in the state of Rio Grande do Sul on the southern coast of Brazil.
In July 2023, five members of a family gathered for a quiet meal in a small town in rural Australia.
A day later, the four guests fell ill. Within a week, three would be dead, the fourth fighting for his life and the 48-year-old woman who prepared the lunch questioned by police amid accusations that she deliberately poisoned her relatives with wild mushrooms.
However, Erin Patterson, who suffered no ill effects from the food, insists she loves her family and had no idea that the mushrooms she served were death caps, the most poisonous mushrooms in the world.
Speaking outside his home where the fatal lunch occurred, he said: “I didn’t do anything.” “I loved them and I am devastated that they are gone.”
Police confiscated a food dehydrator from the home that is believed to have been used to prepare the mushrooms.
This deeply unusual case has shocked the country, baffled police and left a tight-knit community desperately searching for answers.
Patterson, 48, is said to have invited her ex-partner Simon Patterson to her home for dinner on July 29 with her parents Gail and Tom Patterson, 70, along with Gail’s sister Heather Wilkinson and her husband Ian, 68.
Simon was supposed to come, but couldn’t make it “at the last minute.” Police said the couple had separated “amicably”, suggesting the lunch would not have been unusual.
Simon, who lived with his parents for a year after the separation before moving out, previously spent 21 days in intensive care after suffering “serious intestinal problems” in May 2022. It is unclear exactly when he separated from his wife.
The Pattersons’ two children were also present at the lunch, but they ate different foods than the adults and did not experience any illnesses. They have reportedly been taken care of.
The four guests became ill after eating. It is not clear what dish was served, but it included hand-picked mushrooms.
Police said the victims’ symptoms matched those caused by death mushrooms, the world’s most dangerous mushrooms that grow in the wild in Victoria.
Erin Patterson hosted a meal that caused her four guests to become ill and three to die.
Gail and Don Patterson died after eating the mushrooms. Mrs. Patterson was previously married to her son, Simon.
Ian Wilkinson and Heather Wilkinson (both pictured) became seriously ill after eating wild mushrooms. Mrs Wilkinson died on Friday while her husband remains in a critical condition in hospital.
The property where the deadly lunch occurred in Leongatha, in the Gippsland region of Victoria.
Mushrooms seen at the Leongatha family home in the Gippsland region of Victoria
The four went to the hospital the next day because their condition was worsening and the two sisters, aged 70 and 66, died on Friday. Don, 70, died Saturday night.
Ian, 68, remains in a critical condition in hospital and is believed to be awaiting a liver transplant.
Detectives say they are not sure if Patterson ate the same food as his guests.
They noted she was separated from her husband, the Pattersons’ son, but said it was an “amicable” separation.
“At this time, the deaths are unexplained,” said homicide investigator Dean Thomas. “It could be very innocent, but we just don’t know.”