Husband of woman who died after eating arsenic-laced Christmas cake says he has to ‘rebuild everything’

The grief-stricken husband of one of the three women who died after eating an arsenic-laced Christmas cake in Brazil last month said the devastating loss has left a “hole” in his heart as he recalled the fatal family gathering as a “horror movie.”

Jefferson Luiz Moraes, 60, has struggled to move forward after his wife, Maida Bernice Flores da Silva, 58, and two other female relatives were killed after consuming the toxic Bolo de Natal – a Brazilian Christmas cake – during the family’s holiday celebration in Torres on Dec. 23. 

“My better half is gone. I have to rebuild everything again,” Moraes told local news channel G1 of his wife of 32-years.

“Sleep is difficult. I didn’t want to take sleeping pills, but I think I have to. At night it’s a hole that remains.”

Maida and Tatiana Denize Silva dos Anjos, 43, each died from cardiac arrest after consuming the lethal dessert. Neuza Denize Silva dos Anjos, Tatiana’s 65-year-old mother, died the following day, on Christmas Eve, with her cause of death ruled a “shock after poisoning.”

Zeli Terezinha Silva dos Anjos, 61, who unknowingly helped prepare the tainted cake with her daughter-in-law — who was later arrested — was hospitalized along with two other family members.

Jefferson said his family members quickly noticed the cake had a “bad taste” just minutes before they each started vomiting and feeling sick. Within hours, his wife had died, the outlet reported. 

Deise Moura dos Anjos, Zeli’s daughter-in-law, was arrested earlier this month and charged with triple homicide after investigators found copious amounts of arsenic in the victims’ blood – with up to 350 times higher the amount necessary to kill a person found in one of them. 

Traces of arsenic were also found in the cake and the cake’s ingredients, police announced, with the suspect allegedly researching arsenic on the internet before the fatal incident. 

The disturbing discovery prompted officials to exhume the body of Zeli’s deceased husband, who died in September from food poisoning. His death was ruled natural at the time, though tests revealed he ingested arsenic before he perished, the outlet reported. 

Jefferson said the series of devastating events has left him feeling a sense of “terror.”

“But we didn’t know it was going to be so serious yet. I didn’t join the dots of Paulo (the death of Zeli’s husband)” he told the outlet. 

“But later, at Neuza’s wake, my sister started researching there, and she showed me ‘Look, it could be arsenic.’”

Police have said the surviving family members recalled an “unpleasant” and “spicy” hint to the cake.