Brazilian police are investigating the death and hospitalization of three members of a family who ate a Christmas cake that contained arsenic, local media reported today.
According to media reports, three women aged 43, 58 and 65 died after eating cake at a family gathering on December 23 in the small coastal town of Torres, in southern Brazil.
The woman who made the cake, as well as the ten-year-old girl who ate the cake, are alive and hospitalized in a local hospital where they are being treated for poisoning.
The G1 news site reported that the police were waiting for the hospitalized woman's condition to improve before questioning her.
In the meantime, the authorities collected the statements of 15 more people as part of the investigation.
Laboratory tests presented to police on Friday revealed high levels of arsenic in blood samples taken from the three deceased women.
So far, no charges have been filed, and police have not announced whether the case is being treated as a homicide.
According to the collected testimonies, the woman who made the cake got along well with other family members, and there is no indication that there was any quarrel between them.
Pictures released by police show a fruit cake with white frosting and cherries on top.
Other local media in Brazil reported that the ex-husband of the woman who made the cake died last September, and that the police at the time concluded that he had food poisoning, but that this was not the cause of death.
The police are now considering reopening the investigation for that case as well.
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