Friend of Brit influencer and fiancé who died after drinking limoncello speaks of their last moments as man is arrested

33-year-old Greta Marie Otteson and Arno Quinton Els, aged 36, had announced their engagement two weeks before they were found dead in a villa in Vietnam. They were discovered at the Hoa Ch. Tourist Villa, in the town of Hoi An, at around 11.18am on Boxing Day (Thursday December 26) in separate rooms.

After an investigation, was announced that the couple died of suspected methanol poisoning from 'homemade' limoncello, according to Vietnamese police, as Otteson’s parents paid tribute to their daughter and would be son-in-law.

Now, a man who is alleged to have made the deadly limoncello has been arrested, and a friend who visited the couple at the hotel where they were staying after they supposedly drank the drink has spoken out about their last moments.

Todd Ford told The Times that he went to see Otteson and Els at 10pm on Christmas Day, about 24 hours after they drank the limoncello. Two bottles of the lemon liqueur had been delivered to the hotel’s reception desk for them, reportedly from a local restaurant, on Christmas Eve.

Otteson, aged 33, told him she was suffering from what she described as “the worst hangover ever”. She was in her room and in bed drinking coconut juice, telling Ford that she had vomitted and seen “black spots”.

She told him she had last seen her husband-to-be, age 36, who was in another room, about four hours earlier. Ford knocked on Els door and did not get a response. Concerned he offered to “break the door down”, he said, but Otteson reassured him that he had likely fallen asleep playing video games as he was nursing a hangover which was worse than hers.

Ford told the publication: “I went up and I knocked. I called his name. I didn’t see any lights on in the room. I got Greta water and went to check on her. I said ‘do you want me to break the door down?’ She was like ‘he probably fell asleep playing his video games and his hangover’s probably even worse than mine’.”

He added: “She wasn’t concerned. But I believe in hindsight that he probably had already [died] at that stage because he consumed a lot more than her.”

Ford spoke out as Vietnamese police arrested a bartender for making the limoncello. Le Tan Gia, aged 46, was arrested on Friday (February 7) allegedly used 70 percent “medical alcohol”, which should only be used for sterilisation and is not for consumption. Quang Nam province police announced the arrest of Gia for the offence of “violating regulations on food safety”.

Ford, who is an an expat, had been sent by a friend to check on the couple after they had fallen ill. “[Otteson] was cosy in her pyjamas in bed. I sat there talking to her and she had her little rescue dog, Bambi, in the bed with her. She told me that the hangover was subsiding but she had some vision issues that were worrying her.

“I said ‘well why don’t we go to the hospital and have it checked out?’ And then she goes ‘I don’t know if it’s worth it. I’m probably being overly sensitive. Maybe I can just sleep it off’.”

Cleaners found the bodies of social media manager and travel influencer Otteson in her bed in room 101 and her South African partner Els, who was a barista and a stand-up comedian, in room 201 the next day, Boxing Day.

Tragically, Ford also said he had previously talked to the couple about another recent case where people lost their lives due to methanol poisoning because it was so tragic. In November, six people, including 28-year-old Simone White, a British lawyer, died as a result of methanol poisoning after drinking contaminated vodka shots in Laos.

The couple, who had got engaged just two weeks before their deaths, thought methanol poisoning could not be the cause of her illness because the limoncello they drank had come from a “very well respected” restaurant. Ford said he even discussed White’s death with Otteson again on Christmas Day evening.

About 30 minutes after he left, Otteson texted Ford thank him for checking on her. “That was the last message until they were discovered by the caretakers the next day,” he said.

A statement posted on the Quang Nam province police Facebook page said: “At 3.30pm on December 24, 2024, Le Tan Gia — a bartender of a restaurant in the city Hoi An — used 70-degree medical alcohol (the type used only for disinfection, not to be drunk or used in food processing), mixed with filtered water, lemon peel and white sugar to create two bottles of Limoncello wine (liqueur), then delivered to two tourists.

“After drinking, both suffered serious methanol poisoning, leading to death. The case is currently being further investigated and handled according to the provisions of law.”

Ottenson’s dad Paul said the police gave them the statement and also told them the alcohol came from an Italian restaurant, Good Morning Vietnam, which was still open, according to The Times. He told the publication: “We visited three or four times with Greta and enjoyed the food and beverage. We want it shut. All the expat community are mad. They want it shut as well.

“Nothing can mend what’s taken place. Our hearts are broken. We can’t bring them back, but we are happy with what the Vietnamese police have done and the support from the Hoi An community.”