A POISONED family who ate a Christmas cake laced with arsenic noticed that it tasted strange but kept eating it.
Cops have opened a homicide probe into the bizarre case in Brazil which saw three women die after consuming the deadly desert.
According to one of the investigators, the cake had an odd “spicy” and “peppery” flavour, but this didn’t stop the Brazilian family from consuming the death desert.
Zeli Terezinha Silva dos Anjos, 61, baked the cake which killed her two sisters Maida, 58, and Neuza, 65, along with her niece Tatiana, 43, on Monday.
Whilst arsenic is a highly toxic substance without any smell or taste, the spiciness found is not common for sweet cakes.
But even the person who baked the cake didn’t hold back from eating in – in a case that is baffling cops.
Zeli, who baked the cake, fell ill after reportedly eating two slices of the Bolo de Natal traditional cake and remains in hospital in Torres, Brazil.
Zeli’s ten-year-old great nephew is also hospitalised after eating a piece, and another unnamed family member – understood to be Tatiana’s husband – was released.
The seventh family member who was at the party did not eat the cake.
Brazilian police announced they have upgraded the case to homicide, but they have also said it is possible that the Christmas tragedy was just an accident.
It was at Zeli’s home they discovered an unidentified bottle of “whitish liquid”.
The liquid has been sent for examination by the Toxicology Information Centre.
The Civil Police said that traces of arsenic had been found in the blood of the victims.
Another report states police are probing whether the poison may have been added by mistake, reports Correio do Povo.
It is said there are no records of rows or disputes between the family.
Zeli has been interviewed by police from her hospital bed – and told the police that she bought many of the ingredients on Monday, December 23.
But cops found many foods eaten by the family at the house were expired.
They have discovered a jar of mayonnaise that had expired a year ago.
On Friday, police requested the exhumation of the body of a man — the late husband of the woman who baked the cake.
He died in September from food poisoning, but police said his death was ruled natural at the time.
Zeli is not considered a suspect in any of these cases at this time and investigations are ongoing.
Food poisoning is rarely serious and usually gets better within a week.
It’s hard to miss the symptoms, which include:
How to treat food poisoning
You can usually treat yourself or your child at home.
The symptoms usually pass within a week.
The most important thing is to have lots of fluids, such as water or squash, to avoid dehydration.
You should also see a doctor if along with other symptoms you have high fever, blood in your stool, or feel dehydrated or unable to keep any food or liquid down.
Make sure you stay off school or work until you have not been sick or had diarrhoea for at least 2 days.
Source: NHS
The family then began to experience symptoms such as vomiting and diarrhoea, at around 1.00am local time on Tuesday.
The five of them sought medical help at the Nossa Senhora dos Navegantes Hospital.
Hours later, Maida and Tatiana died from cardiac arrest, the hospital said.
Neuza died from “shock after food poisoning” later that evening.
Arsenic is a metallic element that occurs naturally.
Its inorganic form is highly toxic and classified as a category one carcinogen by the EU.
This means that it’s known to cause cancer in humans.
Investigations into this inexplicable event are ongoing.
