A festive family gathering in Brazil turned into a tragedy after three women died from suspected poisoning linked to a homemade Christmas cake, sparking a criminal investigation.Tatiana Denize Silva dos Anjos, 43, and Maida Berenice Flores da Silva, 58, passed away from cardiac arrest on Monday after consuming Bolo de Natal, a traditional Brazilian Christmas cake, during a holiday celebration in the coastal town of Torres. Neuza Denize Silva dos Anjos, 65, died on Christmas Eve, with her cause of death identified as “shock after poisoning,” according to local hospital reports.Civil Police confirmed the presence of arsenic in blood tests conducted on two survivors and one of the deceased, raising questions about the cake’s preparation. The unsettling deaths have also drawn fresh scrutiny to the September death of Zeli’s husband, who reportedly died from food poisoning. Police are seeking permission to exhume his body for further examination.Other three family members, including a 10-year-old boy, remain hospitalized, among them is 61-year-old Zeli Terezinha Silva dos Anjos, who co-prepared the cake with her sister and hosted the gathering.Authorities discovered expired food products and a suspicious medicine bottle containing a white liquid at Zeli’s home, both of which are undergoing laboratory analysis. “There were expired products in the residence,” police said, adding “A bottle was found, a medicine, which should have had capsules inside it and there were no capsules – there was a white liquid and this white liquid will also be examined.”The police also informed that Zeli consumed 2 slices of the cake and was the first one to be rushed to the hospital.Despite the mounting evidence, police said there was no indication of inheritance disputes or familial tensions before the tragedy, as per the New York Post.A friend of one of the victims described the annual family tradition of baking the cake as a cherished event. “It was a traditional family cake, a king cake, which they always made,” the friend shared.The investigation continues as authorities work to determine whether the poisoning was accidental or deliberate, casting a shadow over a family’s treasured holiday tradition.
