The woman who baked a “poisoned” Christmas cake that killed her two sisters and a niece has been photographed for the first time.

Zeli Terezinha Silva dos Anjos, 61, from Torres, Brazil, baked a traditional Christmas cake for a festive family meal on December 23.

However, her sisters Maida, 58, and Neuza, 65, as well as Neuza’s daughter Tatiana, 43, all died shortly after eating the cake.

Three other family members, including Zeli herself and a 10-year-old boy, fell ill and were also hospitalized.

It has now emerged that traces of toxic metallic arsenic were present in the bodies of the three women killed.

Police also announced plans to exhume the body of Paolo Luiz, Zeli’s husband, who is believed to have died in September of food poisoning.

Zeli reportedly spoke to police, who have yet to determine whether the victims were deliberately poisoned.

The 10-year-old boy, believed to be Tatiana’s son, is said to be in stable condition.

Seven family members were eating the cake at Zeli’s house on the Brazilian coast. Only one person, whose identity has not been revealed, did not eat the cake.

The cake, which a family friend said was made every year, was believed to have been made by Maida’s other sister, Zeli Terezinha Silva dos Anjos, 61, pictured, who is hospitalized.

Zeli, pictured, is believed to have eaten two slices of cake and was the first to be taken to hospital after falling seriously ill.

The Christmas cake, pictured, eaten by the three women before their deaths

Blood tests carried out by doctors also revealed the presence of arsenic in the blood of some victims, a powerful poison whose symptoms cause nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.

What’s in a Christmas cake?

A Christmas cake is a rich cake traditionally served without any decoration or simply garnished with candied fruit.

It is often confused with Portuguese King Cake, a sweet yeast cake.

The Brazilian recipe uses cane sugar and is covered in a glaze with candied fruits.

What are the ingredients?

The ingredients of this cake are butter, eggs, brown sugar, orange juice or milk, beach zest, port, flour, baking powder, ground cinnamon, nutmeg, black raisins and candied exotic fruits cut into small cubes.

Source: saborbrasil.it

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Officer Marcos Vinicius Veloso, who is leading the case, said there was no trace of inheritance disputes or conflicts between family members.

Zeli is believed to have eaten two slices of cake and was the first to be taken to hospital after falling seriously ill – where she remains in a stable condition.

She reportedly told police she purchased some ingredients Monday before the gathering.

Police have not yet determined whether the victims were poisoned.

According to Nossa Senhora dos Navegante Hospital, Tatiana and Maida both died of cardiac arrest, while Neuza died of “shock after food poisoning.”

According to the police officer in charge of the case, arsenic was found in Neuza’s body as well as in those of two other victims who survived.

Neighbors in the area will be questioned by officers.

A friend of one of the deceased told a local news canal, it was a traditional cake that the family prepared every year.

Police conducted an examination of the family’s food and other items in the home, and many of them were expired.

A police statement to local network Globo said: “We even have information that there was mayonnaise there that expired a year ago.

“There were expired products in the residence. A bottle was found, a medicine which should have contained capsules and there were no capsules – there was a white liquid and this white liquid will also be examined.

It comes after last year a woman was charged with killing her in-laws after allegedly poisoning their relatives with wild mushrooms in Australia.

Maida Berenice Flores da Silva, 58, pictured, died after enjoying the traditional cake on December 23

Tatiana Denize Silva dos Anjos, 43, pictured, died after eating Christmas cake on December 23

Neuza Denize Silva dos Anjo, 65, pictured, was rushed to hospital in critical condition before also dying the next day.

Maida Berenice Flores da Silva, 58, teacher, also after eating Christmas cake on December 23 during the family reunion

The horror poisoning occurred in the town of Torres, in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, on the southern coast of Brazil.

In July 2023, five members of a family gathered for a leisurely meal in a small town in the heart of rural Australia.

A day later, all four guests fell ill. Within a week, three were reported dead, with the fourth fighting for his life and the 48-year-old woman who was preparing lunch questioned by police, alleging she deliberately poisoned her loved ones with wild mushrooms.

Yet Erin Patterson, who suffered no ill effects from the meal, insists she loves her family and didn’t know the mushrooms she was serving were death caps – the most poisonous mushrooms in the world.

Speaking outside her home where the fatal lunch took place, she said: “I didn’t do anything. I loved them and I’m devastated that they’re gone.

Police seized a food dehydrator from the house believed to have been used to prepare the mushrooms.

This deeply unusual case gripped the country, baffled police and left a close-knit community desperate for answers.

Patterson, 48, is said to have invited her former partner Simon Patterson to her home for dinner on July 29 with her parents Gail and Tom Patterson, 70, as well as Gail’s sister Heather Wilkinson and her husband Ian, 68.

Simon was supposed to come but was unable to come “at the last minute”. Police said the couple separated “amicably”, suggesting the lunch would not have been unusual.

Simon, who lived with his parents for a year after the separation before moving out, had previously spent 21 days in intensive care after suffering “severe intestinal problems” in May 2022. It is not clear when he separated of his wife.

The Pattersons’ two children were also present at the lunch but ate different meals than the adults and did not suffer any illness. They would have been taken care of.

All four guests became ill after eating the meal. It’s unclear exactly what dish was served, but it included hand-picked mushrooms.

Police said the victims’ symptoms matched those caused by deadly mushrooms, the world’s most dangerous fungus that grows wild in Victoria.

Erin Patterson Hosted a Meal That Led Her Four Guests to Get Sick and Three to Die

Gail and Don Patterson died after eating the mushrooms. Mrs Patterson was previously married to their son, Simon

Ian Wilkinson and Heather Wilkinson (both pictured) became seriously ill after eating wild mushrooms. Ms Wilkinson died on Friday while her husband remains in a critical condition in hospital.

The property where the deadly lunch took place in Leongatha, Gippsland, Victoria.

Mushrooms seen on family home in Leongatha, Gippsland, Victoria

The four were hospitalized the next day as their condition worsened. The two sisters, aged 70 and 66, died on Friday. Don, 70, died Saturday evening.

Ian, 68, remains in a critical condition in hospital and is reportedly awaiting a liver transplant.

Detectives say they don’t know if Ms. Patterson ate the same food as her guests.

They noted that she was separated from her husband – the Pattersons’ son – but said it was an “amicable” separation.

“At this time, the deaths are unexplained,” said Homicide Squad Investigator Dean Thomas. “It could be very innocent, but we just don’t know.”