In Maceió, Brazil, on August 3, Fernanda Silva Valoz da Cruz Pinto, a 27-year-old mother, had a meeting with an elderly woman who offered to read her palm. During this interaction, the fortune teller told Pinto she only had a few days to live, and then handed her a piece of chocolate in its original packaging.
Pinto decided to eat the chocolate, trusting its sealed packaging. However, shortly after, she began experiencing concerning health symptoms. Her cousin, Bianca Cristina, reported that Pinto started vomiting, her eyesight became unclear, and she felt an unexpected lethargy.
Pinto’s family initially believed her symptoms were linked to her pre-existing health issues, such as gastritis and ulcer. But their thoughts shifted after Pinto texted them, mentioning the unusual encounter with the elderly palm reader. She shared her concerns about the chocolate she consumed.
Pinto’s health worsened, and she was admitted to the Santa Casa de Misericordia hospital. Regrettably, her condition did not improve, and she passed away on August 4.
The toxicology results from Pinto’s autopsy, released two months later, revealed that her body had high levels of the pesticides sulfaphos and terbufos. These pesticides have been related to other poisoning cases in Brazil. However, it remains uncertain if the chocolate was the contamination source.
The authorities have been informed about the unidentified palm reader by Pinto’s grieving family. The investigation is ongoing, and the Civil Police are treating this as a “death to be clarified.” There are speculations that the palm reader might have had a hidden motive to harm Pinto.
Lumenita Valoz, a cousin of Pinto, expressed the family’s sorrow and their hope for the police to shed light on the mystery. Pinto leaves behind a daughter, aged nine, who has special needs.
