[An Arrest Made in Brazil’s Christmas Eve Arsenic Poisoning Case
An arrest has been made in the case of a family in Brazil who were poisoned on Christmas Eve after eating a cake containing arsenic. Three people died and three others were hospitalized after the incident, which occurred in the city of Torres, in the southern state of Rio Grande do Sul.
The main suspect is the daughter-in-law of one of the victims, who was arrested on Sunday. She has been charged with triple homicide as well as three attempted homicides. According to police, she had disagreements with her family for more than two decades.
Large amounts of arsenic were registered in the bodies of the three women who died, with expert analysis showing high levels in their urine and stomach samples. The arsenic levels in these samples are so high that they are considered toxic and lethal, and explain the cause of death.
The victim whose body contained the lowest concentration of arsenic still registered 80 times the amount permitted in food – and the victim with the highest concentration had 350 times the permitted amount. “These concentrations are so high that it’s impossible to consider it a natural contamination,” said Marguet Mittmann, director general of the General Institute of Expertise.
Police also confirmed that the poison in the cake was mixed into the flour used in its preparation, ruling out the possibility of food poisoning. Analysis of samples revealed that the largest amount of arsenic found in the flour used to make the cake was 2,700 times higher than the permitted limit, leading experts to conclude that the flour was the source of the contamination.
The victim whose body contained the lowest concentration of arsenic still registered 80 times the amount permitted in food – and the victim with the highest concentration had 350 times the permitted amount.
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