Brazilian cops arrested a daughter-in-law who had been feuding with her family for years for poisoning family’s Christmas cake leading to three deaths and three hospitalizations

Deise Moura, 49, was arrested Sunday at the home she shares with her husband Diego Luiz in the southern Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul

She is held ‘on suspicion of committing triple homicide, with a futile motive and using poison, and three attempted homicides, with a double aggravation’, police said 

Tatiana Denize Silva dos Anjos, 43, and Maida Berenice Flores da Silva, 58, died after having the Christmas dessert of Bolo de Natal

Tatiana‘s mother, Neuza Denize Silva dos Anjo, 65, was rushed to hospital in critical condition before also dying on Christmas eve

Victims died of cardiac arrest within hours of eating the cake – lab tests revealed high levels of deadly arsenic in the blood of those who consumed the cake

Moura’s father-in-law died of food poisoning back in September, her mother-in-law remains hospitalized after eating the poisoned cake

A furious relative challenged Moura’s presence of at the victims’ funeral, accusing her of making insincere gestures of grief

Deise Moura [photo], 49, was arrested Sunday evening on suspicion of murdering three members of of her husband’s family. Her father-in-law died of food poisoning back in September, while her mother-in-law remains hospitalized also from poisoning

Detectives investigating a Christmas cake food poisoning that left three members of the same family dead began looking into the daughter-in-law of one of the victims after a row at a funeral last month.
Deise Moura, 49, was arrested yesterday and held by police at the home she shares with her husband Diego Luiz in the southern Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul. 
Police said she had been feuding with her family for years.
Brazil’s Ministry of Justice confirmed the issue of an arrest warrant for Moura ‘on suspicion of committing triple homicide, with a futile motive and using poison, and three attempted homicides, with a double aggravation.’
The ministry’s statement added that ‘the suspect will have a custody hearing on Monday afternoon.’

The ‘Bolo de Natal’ Christmas cake that was consumed by guests on December 23, that allegedly caused the death of 3 family members

Zeli dos Anjos [photo], prepared the traditional ‘Bolo de Natal’ festive treat for a family afternoon coffee on December 23, in the southern Brazilian city of Torres. She remains critically ill after eating the cake. Her daughter-in-law has been arrested for triple-homicide

Deise’s mother-in-law Zeli Dos Anjos made the traditional festive treat which killed three members of her family at a party at Torres near Porto Alegre in southern Brazil two days before Christmas on December 23.
61-year-old Zeli is still in hospital fighting for her life, while her two sisters Maida da Silva, 58, and Neuza Dos Anjos, 65, both died along with Neuza’s daughter Tatiana Dos Santos, 43. 
They lost their lives within hours of eating the cake. Police said lab tests confirmed that ‘elevated levels’ of arsenic had been found in the cake and in the blood and urine of those who had died, as well as those of the survivors

Tatiana Denize Silva dos Anjos, [photo], died following having the Christmas cake on Dec. 23

Maida Berenice Flores da Silva, [photo], also died after she ate the Christmas cake on December 23 during the family get-together

After the meal on Dec 23, Neuza Denize Silva dos Anjo, [photo], was rushed to hospital in critical condition. She died the following day

At the victims’ funeral in December, Deise is said to have placed a ‘set of rosary beads and a rose’ in the hands of the Maida and Tatiana as they lay at the cemetery in their caskets.
It prompted an extraordinary outburst from one furious relative who burst out: ‘Why are you here? You didn’t like any of them. Everyone knows.’
The source added: ‘Diego and Deise kept themselves apart from the rest of the family the last few months. They didn’t really participate much. There was tension.’

Leonir Alves was at the bedside of his 10-year-old son Matheus Marques da Silva who survived eating the poisoned cake at the hospital in Torres, Brazil

Tatiana’s 10-year-old son Matheus, Zeli’s great nephew, was treated in hospital and only released on Friday, while Maida’s husband Jefferson was also treated but Neuza’s husband Joao did not eat any cake and was unaffected.
Police are set to expand on what they believe lies behind the horror poisoning, with reports in Brazil pointing to the suspect and Zeli having quarreled in the past in a dispute said to be linked to what subsequently occurred. 

Sisters Zeli [left], Maida [center], and Neuza [right], all ate the cake baked by Zeli for the Christmas party held at Maida’s home. Maida and Neuza are both dead while Zeli remains hospitalized in critical condition

On the heels of the festive season tragedy it was revealed that Zeli’s first husband Paulo Luis, 68, died after eating a banana that had been contaminated, with officials set to exhume his body from its final resting place next Thursday as part of their probe.
Paulo Luiz is the father of Deise Mauro’s husband, Diego Luiz.
‘The woman, (Moura), was arrested for triple homicide and a triple attempted homicide” Torres police chief Marcus Vinicius Veloso who said the mother of one had been arrested at her home in Nova Santa Rita late on Sunday.
‘She was taken initially to a police station at Canoas, then to Torres police station and is now in the women’s jail in the city, at this moment we cannot say anything else.’

Zeli’s daughter-in-law, Deise Moura [photo],was taken initially to a police station at Canoas, then to Torres police station and is now in the women’s jail in the city. She faces three counts of homicide and a three counts of attempted homicide

It was at Paulo and Zeli’s seaside property that she made the cake on December 23, which she took to Maida’s apartment for the party, and at the house police have seized ingredients including dried fruit and flour, as well as pesticides.
Last week police said they are ‘not aware of any disputes within the family’ but are keeping an open mind while waiting for results from lab tests which are due back any day and provisional reports revealed arsenic in the blood of the victims.

A furious relative challenged Deise Moura‘s presence of at the victims’ funeral, accusing her of making insincere gestures of grief

At the victims funeral, one furious relative shouted at Moura: ‘Why are you here? You didn’t like any of them. Everyone knows.’ She was arrested at her home in Nova Santa Rita late on Sunday on suspicion of murder and attempted murder

Investigative sources confirmed Paulo’s body would be exhumed next Thursday for further analysis as none were taken after doctors at Torres hospital ruled he had died from food poisoning.
Family members said Paulo and Zeli suddenly fell ill after eating some mashed bananas they had grown from a plant in their garden, and which may have been contaminated after floods swept through the region in May.
A the time Zeli was also taken to hospital but recovered while Paulo died within hours of being admitted.
The group of seven at the Christmas party complained the cake she baked tasted ‘bitter and peppery’ within minutes all were vomiting and a fleet of ambulances was called to take them to hospital.
Zeli’s ten-year-old great nephew Matheus Marques da Silva, was also taken ill and spent a week in intensive care before being moved onto a pediatric unit on Friday night from the Senhora dos Navegantes hospital in Torres.
Matheus is the son of Zeli’s niece Tatiana Dos Santos, who also died after eating the poisoned cake.

Moura’s mother-in-law Zeli Dos Anjos, [right], a retired teacher, is fighting for her life in hospital. Her husband Paulo Luiz, [left], died from suspected food poisoning in September. Cops confirmed his remains will be exhumed for proper postmortem

Paulo’s brother Joao who is married to Neuza, did not eat any cake but Maida’s husband Jefferson had a few mouthfuls and was also taken ill but did not require a stay in hospital.
The poisoning at the Christmas gathering has reignited speculation about whether Zeli and her late husband were targets of a sinister plot.
Police initially treated the tragedy as a possible accident, but Moura’s arrest has cast doubt on that theory.
A few days ago, Jefferson da Silva’s sister Isabel Moraes had speculated that someone with a ‘grudge’ had been responsible for targeting the family, describing the string of tragedies as ‘strange’.
Reacting to Sunday’s arrest Moraes said, ‘The whole family is shocked. We just don’t know what to say, someone who is so close to us, we never imagined it.’