A woman has been arrested on suspicion of poisoning Easter eggs and sending them to the new family of her ex-boyfriend in a “revenge” plot in Brazil, according to multiple reports.
Jordélia Pereira Barbosa, 35, allegedly bought the chocolates while in a disguise and spiked them before they were delivered via motorbike courier to her ex’s new partner Mirian Lira, who then shared the eggs with her children on Wednesday, April 16, Daily Mail and the local outlets Imperatriz Online and FDamiao Noticias reported.
The eggs were reportedly sent targeting the mother, 32, and were accompanied by a note with the message, “With love, to Mirian Lira. Happy Easter,” according to the Daily Mail.
Lira’s seven-year-old son Luis Silva fell ill “immediately” after consuming the chocolate and died in Imperatriz City Hospital on Thursday, April 17, per the outlets. A cause of death has not been confirmed at this time.
Lira and her 13-year-old daughter Evelyn Fernanda are in critical condition in the hospital, per The Standard.
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CCTV footage obtained by Imperatriz Online allegedly shows Barbosa in a black wig buying the Easter eggs from a supermarket counter.
According to the outlet, citing officials, Barbosa bought the chocolate and sent it to the family after an earlier failed premeditated plan in which she tried to offer Lira candies in a chocolate-tasting session for employees at the supermarket where she worked.
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Barbosa was arrested by the Maranhão Civil Police on a bus headed to her hometown of Santa Inês on Thursday, April 17. Her arrest came after receipts were found by police indicating her involvement and they spoke to Barbosa’s ex, who also suggested she might be involved, per Daily Mail.
Photos obtained by Imperatriz Online show Barbosa with blonde hair as she is being arrested and instruments, including a funnel and spoons, found at her location, allegedly used in the suspected poisoning of the chocolate.
Barbosa admitted to police to buying the chocolate but not poisoning the eggs, according to reports.
Civil Police of Maranhão/Instagram
Police have discovered receipts for the chocolate eggs, two wigs, scissors, cards, a saw knife, and suspected drugs in her possession, The Standard reported. An autopsy on Luis Fernando is expected to confirm his cause of death as poisoning, while tests are also being conducted on the leftover chocolate.
Security official Maurício Martins said in a statement, per the outlet, “The evidence suggests, based on several points investigated, that the crime was motivated by revenge and jealousy, given that the author’s ex-husband is the current partner or boyfriend of the victim, who was poisoned along with her two children.
“There are several indications that clearly point to this woman being the perpetrator of the crime,” the statement continues. “The police will continue working to strengthen this evidence and present her to the Judiciary to answer for this barbaric crime.”
PEOPLE has reached out to the Maranhão Civil Police for further comment.
