Brazil -- Murder probe after 3 die from eating arsenic-laced Xmas cake. Baker's husband recently died of food poisoning. 23 Dec 2024.

[katydid23]

Deise's husband Diego is reportedly 39, with the mum-of-one possibly also in her late 30s.

Daughter-in-law of woman who made Xmas cake that killed 3 held for 'murder'

THE daughter-in-law of a woman who baked a deadly Christmas cake for her family has reportedly been arrested by police on suspicion of murder and attempted murder. Deise Moura is married to Diego, …

www.thesun.co.uk

So she is reportedly about 39 yrs old?

 

[sunspun]

How old are the 3 who died? Adults or children?

And what about the second cake that was mentioned? How could one have arsenic and one not, if the arsenic was in the flour bag? Or was the other cake made elsewhere by someone else?

And I also would like to know if Diego was at the home when the cake was served. Could he possibly have known?

 

[slowpoke]

Police say the source of the poison—it was found to be in the flour. Samples of the flour were analyzed and found arsenic levels 2,700 times higher than the permitted limit.

https://www.cnn.com/2025/01/06/americas/relative-arrested-brazil-christmas-cake-poisoning-intl-scli/index.html#:~:text=An%20arrest%20has%20been%20made,of%20Rio%20Grande%20do%20Sul.

 

[slowpoke]

How old are the 3 who died? Adults or children?

And what about the second cake that was mentioned? How could one have arsenic and one not, if the arsenic was in the flour bag? Or was the other cake made elsewhere by someone else?

And I also would like to know if Diego was at the home when the cake was served. Could he possibly have known?

An article said Maida made the second cake. I presume she made it at her home, so a different location than her sister Zeli, and with presumably untainted ingredients.

 

[imstilla.grandma]

As Daily Mail now reports, Zeli and her family prepared two cakes for the party - but only one was laced with the toxic semi-metal arsenic.

The tragedy could possibly have been prevented if the family had chosen the second cake - but they decided to eat the 61-year-old's cake, as is traditional every year.

"It only took seconds for everyone to complain about the bitter taste of the cake," reported Isabel Moraes, a close relative.

As soon as the guests had taken their first bite, they complained of nausea and severe pain. Zeli, who had already eaten two pieces herself, immediately shouted that no one should eat any more of the cake - but it was too late

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[katydid23]

As Daily Mail now reports, Zeli and her family prepared two cakes for the party - but only one was laced with the toxic semi-metal arsenic.

The tragedy could possibly have been prevented if the family had chosen the second cake - but they decided to eat the 61-year-old's cake, as is traditional every year.

"It only took seconds for everyone to complain about the bitter taste of the cake," reported Isabel Moraes, a close relative.

As soon as the guests had taken their first bite, they complained of nausea and severe pain. Zeli, who had already eaten two pieces herself, immediately shouted that no one should eat any more of the cake - but it was too late

TAG24 | USA news: All the latest news from the United States

All the latest news from the USA: Society | Sports | Crime | Police | Entertainment | Politics | Culture on TAG24!

www.tag24.uk

So Zeli ate 2 pieces even though it tasted peppery and bitter, and some cake eaters began feeling sick after first bite or two?

 

[amandab]

So Zeli ate 2 pieces even though it tasted peppery and bitter, and some cake eaters began feeling sick after first bite or two?

No judgement from me here; I have been known to power through a less-than-ideal cake. Because cake.

 

[imstilla.grandma]

So Zeli ate 2 pieces even though it tasted peppery and bitter, and some cake eaters began feeling sick after first bite or two?

*Could the dry arsenic-laced flour ingredients have not been mixed well enough or not have been mixed into the batter evenly, considering how toxic/lethal the concentration was.


Police officer Marcos Vinícius Veloso said of the cake, "As soon as the 10-year-old boy ate it and also complained about the taste, [Zeli] kind of put her hand on top of the cake, [and said] 'and now no one will eat it anymore'. And people started to feel sick at that moment," per the translated article.

Daughter-in-Law of Baker Whose Christmas Cake Killed 3 Arrested on Murder Charges: Reports

The daughter-in-law of the woman who prepared a Christmas cake in Brazil that killed three people has reportedly been arrested on suspicion of triple homicide and triple attempted homicide

people.com

 

[slowpoke]

No judgement from me here; I have been known to power through a less-than-ideal cake. Because cake.

Lol, I’m with you there, @amandab .

Maybe poor Zeli kept eating it (not knowing the danger, of course) to try and figure out why the cake didn’t taste right. She had made this traditional cake every Christmas, from what I understand, so I could imagine her being upset it didn’t turn out right, and trying to find what ingredient were causing the off taste.

 

[jjenny]

Lol, I’m with you there, @amandab .

Maybe poor Zeli kept eating it (not knowing the danger, of course) to try and figure out why the cake didn’t taste right. She had made this traditional cake every Christmas, from what I understand, so I could imagine her being upset it didn’t turn out right, and trying to find what ingredient were causing the off taste.

Very well could be. Also, maybe it didn't taste that bad. If it was really awful my guess the rest of the family wouldn't finish their slices. It is my understanding that arsenic actually doesn't have a taste, but it causes a bad taste in the mouth. So they might have not realized the cake was bad until they finished eating it.
"Arsenic poisoning, or arsenicosis, occurs after the ingestion or inhalation of high levels of arsenic. Arsenic is a type of carcinogen that’s gray, silver, or white in color. Arsenic is extremely poisonous to humans. What makes arsenic especially dangerous is that it doesn’t have a taste or odor, so you can be exposed to it without knowing it."

Arsenic Poisoning: Symptoms, Causes, and Treatment

Learn more about arsenic poisoning, including symptoms to look out for, the most common causes, and how to treat it.

www.healthline.com

 

[sunspun]

Well, it was her cake, that she had made for everyone to enjoy, and it sounds like it was sort of her "signature dish" that she made traditionally every year, so she's probably proud of it and wants everyone to love it, so even if it did taste "off" to her, she might not have wanted to say anything to anyone, lest they start thinking it too! And maybe everyone kept eating theirs so as to not hurt her feelings.

 

[TootsieFootsie]

Some people have a liking for bitter tastes.
So maybe that's why Zeli could eat two pieces, it does seem that she enjoyed the first piece

 

[TootsieFootsie]

I think Zeli saved some lives there.

I did wonder why not more of the cake was gone.
Looking at it made me think that not many ate much of it.

 

[iamshadow21]

Some people have a liking for bitter tastes.
So maybe that's why Zeli could eat two pieces, it does seem that she enjoyed the first piece

Also, everyone's palate is different. There's natural variations, but sense of taste can be affected by illness, injury, and medications. Some people are hyper or hypo sensitive to certain flavour profiles.

My own grandmother had no sense of taste for over a decade. She thought it was because she'd had a bad case of the flu. We found out after she had a stroke and her sense of taste came back that she'd probably had a stroke that she mistook for the flu all those years before.

I can fully believe someone at a table could eat something not realising it tastes wrong, while everyone else at the table knows after a bite or two.

MOO

 

[TootsieFootsie]

Yes and also some people lost their sense of taste after Covid,
With some it came back over time and with others it was never the same again.

 

[iamshadow21]

Yes and also some people lost their sense of taste after Covid,
With some it came back over time and with others it was never the same again.

When I had COVID, I lost it temporarily. Partially. And I lost my sense of bitter and caramel tastes. I gave up drinking coffee for weeks until it came back because it just tasted like warm slightly milky water, which was gross.

MOO

 

[Chimera]

No judgement from me here; I have been known to power through a less-than-ideal cake. Because cake.

Bbm.
Sadly, I can concur.

If foul play and it's leaning that way, who stands to gain the most from this crime ?
Omo.

 

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[Kemug]

Deise Moura has been arrested.

I wonder if she was at the gathering when everyone ate pieces of the cake? Did she turn a piece down? Her husband wasn't mentioned -- was he there or not & did he try a piece or not? Sure seems like she must have hated all the people on her husband's side of the family if she was ok with poisoning them. MOO.

I don't believe she or her husband were at the gathering. There were 7 people there apparently, which is covered by the 3 sisters, the husbands of 2 of them, the daughter of 1 of the sisters, and the 10 year old boy, who I think is the son of the afore mentioned deceased daughter of a sister.
Of course the accused may not have even been invited, if they were on such bad terms.

 

[Dotta]

"Smiling together before
'Christmas cake plot' ripped family apart:

Chilling photo shows woman next to mother-in-law years before she
'tried to kill her older relative with arsenic-laced flour'
in poisoning that left three dead."

Smiling together before 'Christmas cake plot' ripped family apart

Deise Moura is pictured next to her now gravely ill mother-in-law Zeli Dos Anjos - and in front of a Christmas cake identical to the one that killed three members of the family.

www.dailymail.co.uk