Deise Moura dos Anjos, the woman accused of poisoning a Christmas cake which led to the death of three family members was found dead in her prison cell.
She had been held in prison after being accused of poisoning a traditional ‘Bolo de Natal’ Christmas cake with arsenic where the cake was being served at a family function celebrating Christmas in 2024.
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Three family members died
Three of Deise’s in-laws died after eating the cake, Tatiana Denize Silva dos Anjos, 43, Maida Berenice Flores da Silva, 58, and Neuza Denize Silva dos Anjos, 65.
The family function had been at Deise’s mother-in-law’s place, Zeli dos Anjos, who prepared and served the cake.
Other relatives were rushed to the hospital
Two other family members were unwell after eating the cake and had to be rushed and taken care of at the hospital. They were Zeli’s niece Tatiana, and her great-nephew Matheus.
Deise was then accused of triple homicide and triple attempted homicide. Neuza’s husband, Jefferson, was the only one who wasn’t hospitalized as he didn’t have any cake.
Deise was found in her cell
Deise Moura dos Anjos was found on the morning of Thursday 13 January deceased in her cell, during the routine daily checks.
An official statement was released by Brazilian Police through CNN Brasil, as they said, “The officers immediately provided first aid and called the Emergency Medical Service, which, upon arriving at the scene, confirmed the death.”
She was alone in her cell
The statement continued: “Deise was alone in the cell. The circumstances will be investigated by the Civil Police and the General Institute of Forensics.”
This all began in December of last year when the poisoned cake was served at a family function just before Christmas. With Neuza and Maida dying on Christmas Eve, and Tatiana passing away on Christmas Day.
The flour contained arsenic
It was found that the flour used for the ‘Bolo de Natal’ cake contained the substance arsenic, a toxic material.
Deise was arrested at the start of the new year, on 5 January, for triple homicide and three counts of attempted homicide.
Zeli’s husband had also died of poisoning
Police investigated Paulo Luiz dos Anjos’s body, his was Zeli’s husband, the woman who prepared and served the cake, and mother-in-law to Deise.
He had died in September, before the incident, and upon further forensic investigation his body was found to also contain traces of arsenic, suggesting that he also died of poisoning.
Expired foods were found at the home
According to The Daily Record, a spokesperson for the police claimed that they found expired food products at the home. The police spokesperson said: “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,” they added.
