Teenage girl poisoned parents’ dinner after being ‘banned’ from seeing boyfriend

A Brazilian teenager is said to have added a notorious banned rodent-killer to her family meals after quarrelling with her parents over sneaking out to visit her boyfriend

A 17-year-old girl from Brazil has reportedly confessed to putting a deadly poison into lunch boxes for her mum, dad, and cousin after her parents stopped her seeing her boyfriend.

The granules of chumbinho, illegally sold in Brazil for killing mice and rats, could have led to their swift deaths but the girl’s cousin spotted “a different texture” and averted tragedy. Police are now holding the girl, who they believe acted because her family “was disapproving of her romantic relationship”.

“She then took the three meals prepared every night by the mother for herself, the father and the cousin, and added a toxic substance intended to kill rodents,” said Major Renato Geraldo da Silva, a spokesperson for the Military Police.

The girl has reportedly confessed to the attempted poisoning in the city of Nova Serrana in the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais on January 7. The food was for her mum, 35, her dad, 41, and her cousin, 36, according to the Military Police.

Major Geraldo da Silva said: “She said the container of the poison was already inside the house and spoke about the argument that happened during the early hours because she left without consent.”

The cousin began eating one of the meals but noticed its odd texture. “He said he was eating the meal, noticed a different texture, spoke to his uncle and the uncle then spoke to his wife, saying there was something altered in the food,” said the spokesperson.

The cousin alerted the girl’s parents before they started eating. He later sought medical attention, underwent gastric lavage, and stayed under observation with a stable clinical condition.

A senior police officer said the teen told officers she acted out of anger because her parents disapproved of her romance. Police said the argument broke out in the early hours after the girl went out without parental consent.

Officers said the poison container was already inside the family home before the incident. Forensic teams went to the property and collected the three meals, including one that remained intact.

Samples of the food and the granules were taken to a lab for analysis to check the poison. Civil Police confirmed the detention and said the case remains under investigation.

Reports said the girl, not named, was taken to the Civil Police station along with her legal representative and is now at the disposal of the justice system.

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