A woman who stood accused of poisoning a Christmas cake in an alleged attempt to kill her family has been found dead in a prison cell.
Deise Moura dos Anjos was in custody after allegedly lacing a traditional 'Bolo de Natal' cake with arsenic and serving it to her in-laws: Tatiana Denize Silva dos Anjos, 43, Maida Berenice Flores da Silva, 58, and Neuza Denize Silva dos Anjos, 65.
The cake was prepared and served by Deise's mother, Zeli dos Anjos, per CNN Brasil.
Two other relatives, Tatiana's niece and great-nephew, Matheus, also fell ill and were hospitalized.
While Deise faced charges of triple homicide and triple attempted homicide, one family member, Jefferson, Neuza's husband, did not require medical attention.
The alleged poisoning took place on Christmas Eve last year. Investigators later discovered that the flour used to bake the cake contained arsenic.
Neuza and Maida passed away due to the poisoning in the early hours of December 24, while Tatiana, Matheus, and Zeli remained hospitalized. Tatiana passed away on Christmas Day.
Matheus was discharged from Nossa Senhora dos Navegantes Hospital in Torres in early January. On January 5, Deise was arrested and charged with triple qualified homicide and three counts of attempted homicide.
Days later, authorities exhumed the body of Paulo Luiz dos Anjos, Zeli's husband, who had died in September. A forensic examination revealed traces of arsenic in his system, raising suspicions that he had also been poisoned.
A police spokesperson reported finding expired food products in the family home. Speaking via The Daily Record, the spokesperson stated: "We even have information that there was mayonnaise there that had expired a year ago.
"There were expired products in the residence. 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."
Authorities confirmed that seven people were in the house on December 23, but one individual had not consumed the Christmas cake.
Speaking after her arrest, Deise's lawyer, Cassyus Pontes, said: "Everything's all very preliminary.
"There are still questions to be answered. What is the causal link between the poison and Deise?
"There is no explanation of how the flour ended up in Zeli's house, or where or how it was acquired.
"These are minimal questions to indicate the authorship of the facts. Instead, all we have are the accounts of some family members and a supposed extraction of data from a mobile phone."
Referencing a long-standing family dispute detectives have considered as a potential motive, Pontes added in comments to local media: "Deise never hid the fact that she had disagreements with her mother-in-law.
"She had already mentioned it to the Civil Police in a statement. I was surprised by the preventive custody request."
In a new update, Deise was found dead in her cell on the morning of February 13 during routine checks. In a statement released by Brazilian police via CNN Brasil, authorities said: “The officers immediately provided first aid and called the Emergency Medical Service, which, upon arriving at the scene, confirmed the death.
“Deise was alone in the cell. The circumstances will be investigated by the Civil Police and the General Institute of Forensics.”
.jpg_ag9gmU?tr=h-184)
