Police to dig up man’s body in major update following the deaths of three women from ‘arsenic-laced’ Christmas cake

Police in Brazil are planning to exhume a man's body as part of their investigation into the deaths of three women after they ate a homemade Christmas cake.

Tatiana Denize Silva dos Anjos, 43, Maida Berenice Flores da Silva, 58, and Neuza Denize Silva dos Anjos, 65, died after eating a Christmas cake that had been prepared by 61-year-old, Zeli Terezinha Silva dos Anjos, on 23 December.

Zeli is a sister to Maida and Neuza, and aunt to Tatiana, and she is currently in hospital after also eating the homemade cake. She was the first person to eat some of the cake and has not currently been charged or arrested with anything.

Three women have died and three of their relatives have been hospitalised after eating a homemade Christmas cake (Divulgação/Polícia Civil)

The Brazilian family had gathered at Zeli's home before Christmas and three of them died, while another three were hospitalised, including Zeli and a 10-year-old child thought to be Tatiana's son.

Traces of arsenic was found in the bodies of some of those affected, leading to concerns that the cake was poisonous.

As part of the investigation, authorities are planning to dig up the body of Zeli's husband Paulo Luiz, who died in September.

A police spokesperson told local news outlet, Globo, that the man's body would be dug up to search for traces of poisoning, and noted that a search of the woman's house had found a number of items that were out of date.

They said (via The Daily Record): "We opened a police investigation and we are going to exhume this man's body to check whether there was also poisoning.

"We even have information that there was mayonnaise there that had expired a year ago.

The cake was a Bolo de Natal which the family traditionally ate (Getty Stock Photo)

"There were expired products in the residence. A bottle was found, a medicine, which should have had capsules inside it and there were no capsules - there was a white liquid and this white liquid will also be examined."

There were seven people in total at the house on 23 December, one of whom did not eat any of the Christmas cake.

Tatiana and Maida reportedly both died from heart attacks, while Neuza died from 'shock after food poisoning'.

While three people have died and another three were hospitalised, a friend of the family told Globo News that the family 'always, always, always, made' the traditional cake at Christmas and explained that it was a major part of their festive celebrations.

The investigation has not found any evidence of inheritance disputes or falling out among the family members, and the Christmas cake was a holiday tradition.