Forensics in Christmas cake poisoning case makes surprising discovery during tests on exhumed body of baker’s husband – as police continue to question daughter-in-law over ‘triple murder’

Forensic tests on the body of a man exhumed after his daughter-in-law was arrested for a triple Christmas cookie murder have confirmed he had traces of arsenic in his body.

Retired bus driver Paulo Luiz, 68, died last September after eating contaminated bananas. His wife Zeli Dos Anjos, 61, also fell ill but survived.

Their daughter-in-law Deise Moura, 42, is currently in custody after police detained her in connection with three murders and three attempted murders last month involving family members.

Forensic experts exhumed Paulo’s body from the Sao Vincente cemetery near Porto Alegre in southern Brazil as part of the investigation they say was sparked by Moura’s long-running feud with her in-laws.

Confirmation that arsenic was found in his body was leaked to Brazilian media overnight, but further details are expected to be revealed at a news conference later on Friday.

Sources at the IGP, Brazil’s Institute of Forensic Research, say traces of arsenic were found in his “heart, stomach and intestines.”

Paolo died in September after eating mashed bananas at his home in Arroio Do Sal near Porto Alegre. He died after vomiting, diarrhea and stomach bleeding, interpreted at the time as symptoms of food poisoning.

Family members suspected poisoning at the time, but Zeli refused to believe it, insisting that the banana tree from which the fruit came must have been “contaminated” after the floods in the area last year.

But following the deaths of three members of the same family last month after eating a poisoned Christmas cake laced with arsenic, police decided to exhume Paolo’s body as part of the murder investigation.

IGP officials later confirmed that the amount of arsenic in the cake was 350 times the amount needed to kill someone and that traces of the deadly chemical were found in the blood and urine of the victims and survivors.

Paulo’s wife Zeli baked the fruitcake with the arsenic-laced flour as a festive treat for a December 23rd party. Within minutes of eating the cake, Zeli, who ate two slices, became ill and began vomiting. She spent the next week in the hospital, fighting for her life.

Zeli’s sisters Neuza Dos Anjos, 65, and Maida da Silva, 58, both died after eating it, along with Neuza’s daughter Tatiana Dos Santos, 43. Zeli’s 10-year-old great-nephew also fell ill.

Detectives are investigating the relationship between Zeli and her daughter-in-law, amid claims from relatives that the feuding couple had a falling out years ago.

Police statements released in Brazil show that the women never got along with Moura and told police during interviews that she called Zeli “naja,” which is Portuguese for cobra.

But despite their troubled relationship, Moura has insisted she is “shocked” at being a suspect in the murders and maintains her innocence, her lawyer said.

MailOnline revealed how Paulo died earlier last year when he and Zeli were rushed to hospital after eating mashed bananas.

Paulo died without leaving a will and “with assets” according to his death certificate.

Indictment documents released to Brazilian media now allege that Moura brought the bananas to the couple’s home as a “peace offering” after not speaking to her in-laws for three and a half years in an “attempt to build of a house’. bridges’.

A source told MailOnline: ‘After the banana incident, Zeli’s sister Maida was suspicious and urged her to take the fruit to a laboratory for testing, but Zeli refused.

Police have told MailOnline that Moura’s feud with her mother-in-law began in 2004 after Zeli withdrew money from her son Diego’s account without telling him, angering his wife.

A source said: ‘The money was eventually paid back but despite attempts to resolve matters over the years, things didn’t really get better.

“Deise and her husband boycotted family gatherings and his side of the family did not attend Deise’s graduation.

‘They spent Christmas apart and blocked each other on the phone. The last time they met was four years ago when they tried and it didn’t work.’

The Christmas cake poisoning made headlines around the world after details emerged, but took a dramatic turn when Moura was arrested last Sunday.

At a press conference, police confirmed that forensic tests had revealed the presence of arsenic in the cake and that this had been traced to flour in Zeli’s kitchen at her seaside home in Arroio do Sal, near Torres.

Further investigation revealed that Moura had searched the word ‘arsenic’ on her phone and laptop several times since November.

Moura appeared in court this week, who confirmed she will remain in custody for a minimum of 30 days during the investigation.

Her lawyer highlighted what he said were “inconsistencies” in the case, saying there was “nothing that could explain why the poisoned flour was linked to the suspect.”

He added: ‘The findings are all very preliminary, questions remain to be answered: What is the link between the poison and Deise?

‘There is no explanation as to how the flour got to Zeli’s house, nor where or how it was obtained. These are minimal questions that need to be answered.

“However, all we have are reports from family members and alleged data extraction from her cell phone.

‘Deise has made no secret of the fact that she did not get along well with her mother-in-law and she has told the police as much, but until now I have not had full access to the investigation files.’

Police are also investigating whether Moura was behind the September poisoning so she and Diego could inherit the family’s assets.

The district’s public security secretary told local media: ‘Paulo’s body will be exhumed by the end of this week. Tests will then be done and we should have the results back within ten days.’