A grandmother has been arrested in Brazil after allegedly poisoning her two grandchildren with a deadly cake, resulting in one fatality. Izabel Cardoso de Andrade, 59, is accused of baking the lethal treat during the summer holidays while her grandchildren were visiting. Her husband reportedly brought home another cake and some cheese bread for the youngsters’ snack time.
The nine-year-old victim, Alana dos Santos Cardoso Marques, fell seriously ill almost immediately, while her 11-year-old sister, who ate less, experienced milder symptoms. Even the family cat suffered after tasting the treat. Both children began vomiting and complaining of severe stomach pain after consuming the cake on July 23. Alana was said to have expelled a white liquid from her nose, prompting her grandparents to call for help. A neighbour rushed her to hospital, but she tragically died from cardiac arrest shortly after arrival.
Police discovered the cat had also died after showing the same symptoms. Authorities collected samples of the cake for testing at the family home in São Francisco, Brazil.
Cardoso de Andrade was arrested on Friday, September 19. Forensic tests revealed terbufos – a toxic pesticide – in both the cake and Alana’s body.
The chemical attacks the central nervous system, causing muscle weakness and, in high doses, death. Other symptoms include seizures, breathing difficulties and cramps, leading to possible neurological damage and even death.
After a vet’s examination, it was discovered that the cat had died from liver failure, indicating poisoning as a probable cause of death.
Raphael Sim es de Moraes Neto, the suspect’s solicitor, stated that his client willingly cooperated with investigators and permitted searches at her residence. Officers are probing whether the poisoning was deliberate or a horrific accident and they have yet to determine a motive.
The investigation is still underway.
This follows an incident where a woman was charged with fatally poisoning three of her in-laws with an arsenic-infused cake last Christmas. Deise Moura dos Anjos is accused of poisoning six members of her husband’s family, with three becoming seriously ill and the other three dying after eating the cake.
The suspect, who hails from Brazil, allegedly died by suicide while being held in a pre-trial detention centre in February.
Just last month, Aussie mum Erin Patterson received a life sentence for murdering three of her estranged husband’s relatives by serving them a beef wellington laced with poisonous mushrooms.