Three Women Die After Eating Homemade Christmas Cake in Brazil; Arsenic Poisoning Suspected

The deaths have prompted an investigation into the baker's late husband, who died of suspected food poisoning months earlier.

Three women from the same family died after consuming a homemade Christmas cake at a gathering in Torres, Brazil, on December 23, 2024.
Preliminary tests revealed arsenic in the victims' blood, leading authorities to suspect poisoning and prompting a broader investigation.
Three other family members, including a 10-year-old boy, were hospitalized but are reportedly in stable condition.
The baker, Zeli Terezinha Silva dos Anjos, who also fell ill, is cooperating with authorities; her late husband's September death from suspected food poisoning is now being re-examined.
Police discovered expired food items and a suspicious white liquid at Zeli's home, with further tests underway to determine the source of the poisoning.