This is the moment a coffin containing the father-in-law of a woman accused of lacing a ‘poisoned’ Christmas cake with arsenic is exhumed.
Retired bus driver Paulo Luiz, 68, mysteriously died in September from food poisoning after eating what police and family fear may have been a ‘poisoned banana’.
His body was removed from a cemetery after investigators obtained a permit from a judge and it will now be sent for tests which are expected back next week
Paulo’s daughter-in-law Deise Moura, 42, is being held in custody after being arrested on suspicion of contaminating her mother-inlaw’s flour with arsenic before she used it to bake a fruit cake that left three women from the same family dead.
Moura’s mother-in-law Zeli Anjos, 61, baked the cake with its deadly ingredient as a festive treat for a party on December 23.
But within minutes of eating the cake Zeli, who ate two slices, became ill and began vomiting. She spent the next week in 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 was also taken ill.
This is the moment a coffin containing the father-in-law of a woman accused of lacing a ‘poisoned’ Christmas cake with arsenic is exhumed
Retired bus driver Paulo Luiz (pictured) mysteriously died in September from food poisoning after eating what police and family fear may have been a ‘poisoned banana’
Zeli Anjos (pictured) baked the cake with its deadly ingredient as a festive treat for a party on December 23
Initially authorities in Brazil believed that the death of Zeli’s husband Paulo four months ago was a tragic accident.
But in light of recent event, detectives applied to have his body exhumed for further tests.
The operation to remove his body from the Sao Vincente cemetery in Canoas near the Brazilian city of Porto Alegre, took just over 15 minutes today.
It will now be examined for traces of arsenic at a laboratory while police continue their investigation into the Christmas cake deaths which happened in nearby Torres.
Detectives are investigating the relationship between Zeli and her daughter-in-law amid claims from relatives that the feuding pair had fallen out many years ago.
Police statements released in Brazil suggest that the women have never got on with Moura telling police during interviews that she referred to Zeli as ‘naja’ which is Portuguese for cobra.
But despite their fractious relationship, Moura has insisted she is ‘shocked’ at being a suspect for the killings and insists that she is innocent, according to her lawyer.
MailOnline revealed how Paulo died earlier last year when he and Zeli were rushed to hospital after eating mashed bananas.
Pictured: The Christmas cake that was consumed by guests on December 23
Deise Moura 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
The mother of one had been arrested at her home in Nova Santa Rita late on Sunday
Neuza Denize Silva dos Anjo, 65, was rushed to hospital in critical condition before dying the following day
Several members of the family died after eating the cake
Paulo died without leaving a will and ‘with assets’ according to his death certificate.
In prosecution papers released to the Brazilian media, it has now been alleged that Moura had taken 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 at building bridges’.
A source told MailOnline: ‘After the bananas incident, Zeli’s sister Maida was suspicious and urged her to take the fruit to a lab for testing, but Zeli refused.
Police have told MailOnline Moura’s feud with her mother-in-law began in 2004 after Zeli withdraw money from her son Diego’s account without telling him and angering his wife.
A source said: ‘The money was eventually paid back but things and despite attempts at trying to patch things up over the years things didn’t really improve.
‘Deise and her husband would boycott family gatherings and his side of the family didn’t go to Deise’s graduation ceremony.
‘They would spend Christmas apart and block each other on the phone, the last time they met was four years ago when they tried to make a go of it but it didn’t work.’
The Christmas cake poisoning made headlines around the world after details emerged but it took a dramatic twist with Moura’s arrest last Sunday.
At a press conference police confirmed that forensic tests had revealed the presence of arsenic in the cake and it was traced to flour in Zeli’s kitchen at her seaside home in Arroio do Sal, near Torres.
10 year old Matheus Marques da Silva who survived eating the poisoned cake with Father Leonir Alves at the hospital in Torres, Brazil
The woman was arrested for triple homicide and attempted homicide
Deise Moura (pictured) was held by police at the home she shares with husband
Brazilian police in Torres hold a press conference today to explain the arrest of Deise Moura
Further investigations revealed how Moura had on several occasions searched on her phone and laptop the word ‘arsenic’ since November.
Moura appeared before a judge this week who confirmed she will remain in custody for at least 30 days during the investigation.
Her lawyer highlighted what he said were ‘inconsistencies’ in the case saying there was ‘nothing to explain why the poisoned flour was linked to the suspect’.
He added: ‘The findings are all very preliminary, questions still need to be answered, what is the link between the poison and Deise?
‘There is no explanation as to how the flour ended up in Zeli’s house, nor where or how it was acquired. These are minimal questions that need answering.
‘However, all we have instead, are reports from family members and alleged data extraction from her mobile phone.
‘Deise has made no secret that she didn’t get on with her mother-in-law and she has told police that but as yet I have not had full access to the investigation files.’
Police are also probing whether Moura was behind the September poisoning so she and Diego could inherit the family’s assets.
Public security secretary for the district told local media: ‘The body of Paulo will be exhumed by the end of the week at the latest. Tests will then be carried out and we should have those results back within ten days.’
