Poisoned Cake Tragedy Claims 3 Lives at Christmas Party

New details have emerged regarding the deaths of three family members from a poisoned cake at a Christmas party.

Seven people were present at the pre-Christmas gathering on Dec. 23, but only four survived, MailOnline reported. It has now been revealed that two cakes were made for the party and that one contained arsenic.

This is according to a close family member, Isabel Moraes, who shared her account of the incident that occurred at Torres near Porto Alegre in southern Brazil.

Speaking with MailOnline, Moraes detailed how within hours of eating a cake at the family gathering, her sister-in-law Maida Bernice Flores da Silva, 58, Neuza Denize Silva Dos Anjos, 65, and Neuza's daughter, Tatiana Silvia Dos Santos, 43, all died. Authorities later confirmed the presence of lethal arsenic in their bodies. Zeli Silva Dos Anjos and her 10-year-old great-nephew, Mateus, Tatiana's son, also fell ill and were hospitalized.

According to MailOnline, two cakes were made that day. One by Zeli Silva Dos Anjos, 61, and one by da Silva, but it was only Anjos' that was eaten.

"Zeli is horrified by what's happened," Maida Bernice Flores da Silva's sister-in-law Isabel told the outlet. "She is overcome with guilt because it was her cake that caused the tragedy, but we keep telling her not to worry and that it was an accident."

Both cakes were on the table, and the decision was made to cut the one prepared by Zeli Silva Dos Anjos, who traditionally made the dessert each year.

However, Isabel told MailOnline that soon after starting to eat, the family began feeling ill. According to Isabel, they all noticed a bitter, sour taste. Zeli had already eaten two slices before the others stopped, warning everyone not to eat anymore.

Commenting on what may have happened, Isabel said: "It's hard for us to say, we just don't know anything, we've seen the reports about arsenic, but Zeli wouldn't have poisoned anyone."

Isabel explained that a cousin, who is a chemist, explained that there was "no way such a large amount of arsenic could have been produced by out-of-date ingredients." Isabel said she wondered if someone may have tampered with the cake.

"It's strange that just our family is involved though. Even the policeman said he'd never seen a case like this," she said.

"You have to wonder if it is something deliberate from someone, but it won't be Zeli. I think if this is a deliberate action, it will be someone with a grudge against the family, but I have no idea who that could be — or what their motive is," she said.

A statement released by doctors at the Nossa Senhora dos Navegantes hospital on New Year's Day confirmed that Zeli Silva Dos Anjos remained in intensive care. The bulletin indicated she was stable, though her respiratory function had deteriorated.

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