Students protest after teacher dies from poisoning - police in Brazil think her ex-husband gave her the snack
Students have staged a protest demanding justice for a 36-year-old teacher after she was allegedly poisoned by food given to her by her estranged husband whom she was divorcing.
Joice dos Santos Silva Cirino died after eating a coxinha, a type of Brazilan chicken croquet in the shape of a tear, at her home in Sao Bras, Brazil, on Wednesday, October 9.
One theory that police are working on is that Joice's husband, whose name has not yet been disclosed, poisoned the snack before he offered it to her. The man, whom she had recently separated from, brought home the deadly food and offered it to his wife and son.
However, the boy refused, Joice's family claim, luckily saving himself. It is currently unclear if the accused is the boy's father.
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Maria Luana Alves, Joice's sister, said: "A snack that he took home, in fact, that he offered not only to her, but to her son as well. He simply brought it and offered it to both of them. She ate it and felt sick, and thank God, the boy chose to eat a soup that she had prepared."
Maria stated that her sister had feared being poisoned by her husband. She said: "There are audios of her. She told me, '[Maria] Luana, if I get sick, he was the one who brought me, he gave me this acai. He gave me this here to eat.'" (sic)
The medical team at the Emergency Care Unit (UPA) in Porto Real do Colegio, where Joice was taken after she fell ill, called the police after suspecting and identifying signs of poisoning as the cause of death.
Police Chief Romulo Andrade said: "I have just ordered the opening of a police inquiry to determine the circumstances of the death. This is very sad news and has shocked the people of Sao Bras. We called the Criminalistics Institute, which carried out an investigation at the scene and collected material and food.
"The information we have is that she was eating a coxinha when she started to feel unwell. We opened an investigation into femicide, following the Brazilian protocol for investigating this type of crime. From what we have gathered, this coxinha was given to her by her ex-partner. They were going through a difficult separation."
Investigators are still awaiting the results of the toxicology tests before they can arrest and charge their suspect. Meanwhile, students of the school where Joice taught made several tributes at the school gates.
They organised marches and laid out posters demanding justice for their teacher.
Story: NewsX/Newsflash