TORRES, BRAZIL: Arsenic has been found in the blood of one of three women who died after eating a Christmas cake in a suspected poisoning in Brazil, a police chief has told local media.
The highly toxic substance was also identified in the blood test results of a 10-year-old boy and the woman who made the cake - both of whom are still in hospital.
Five members of the same family fell ill after eating the cake at a gathering in Torres, in the southern Rio Grande do Sul state.
Police have sent the cake for testing, and said several out-of-date food items were also found during a search at the woman’s house. They added that it is not yet clear whether the suspected poisoning was intentional. Test results from the cake are expected to be available by next week, according to local media.
On Friday, police requested for the body of a man - the late husband of the woman who made the cake - to be exhumed. He died in September from food poisoning, but police said his death was deemed natural at the time. She is not considered a suspect in either of these cases at this time, and investigations are ongoing. (Agencies)
