A Teen Girl Dies After Eating Poisoned Cake Left On Her Doorstep

Itapecerica, a small town in northern São Paulo with a population of just under 22,000, seemed like any other quiet community. Yet in June 2025, this unassuming town would become the centre of a shocking story, as the murder of one of its young residents sent ripples far beyond its borders.

Ana Neves was only 17 and a resident of the town. She attended João Baptiste de Oliveira School and was described as a quiet girl with just a few close friends. One of these friends’ names has not been released by the media; for the purposes of this case, I will refer to her as 'Carmen.'

By May 2025, Carmen and Ana appeared to be close friends, with Carmen even being welcomed into Ana’s home for sleepovers. But beneath the surface, Ana could never have anticipated the dark feelings her friend was secretly harbouring.

Carmen struggled with extremely low self-esteem, and in Ana—whom she saw as more beautiful and popular—her envy festered into something far more dangerous. As her jealousy deepened, she began to devise a chilling plan…

On the evening of Friday 30th May 2025, a delivery boy arrived at Ana’s home carrying a small cake in a container. Ana wasn’t there at the time, so her sister accepted the delivery.

When Ana returned around 6 p.m., her sister eagerly showed her the cake—and pointed out the special note that had been attached:

Flattered, Ana snapped a photo of the note and the cake before taking a bite, convinced it was a thoughtful gesture from a secret admirer trying to brighten her day. She had no idea that indulging in the sweet treat would turn out to be a grave mistake.

Less than an hour later, Ana was struck by violent vomiting and severe diarrhoea, her body reacting in alarm to what she had just consumed.

The following day, Ana’s condition worsened, and in the early hours of Sunday morning, her father, Silvio, rushed her to the hospital. Medical staff quickly diagnosed her with food poisoning.

She was treated with medication and connected to an IV drip, and over time, her symptoms began to subside. She was eventually discharged and sent home—but tragically, her recovery would be short-lived.

By 4pm that same day, Ana collapsed on the bathroom floor of her home. She suffered a cardiac arrest and, despite the efforts of emergency responders, passed away shortly afterward.

As Ana’s family struggled to come to terms with her sudden death, they desperately tried to understand how something so tragic could have happened. It was then that Ana’s sister recalled the unusual cake delivery days earlier—a seemingly innocent package that had mysteriously appeared at their door.

Convinced this could be linked to Ana’s death, Silvio contacted the police.

Investigators traced the cake to a local pastry shop called Menina Trufa. The shop’s owner, Josielie Franca, told police that the cake had indeed been ordered, but the delivery had been carried out by an unknown courier working through a delivery app.

Police tracked down the motorbike courier, who was able to provide the address of the person who had ordered the cake. In a shocking twist, it led them straight to the home of Ana’s close friend, Carmen.

Carmen was taken in for questioning. At first, she denied any involvement in sending the cake that had killed her friend. But after hours of relentless interrogation, she made a chilling confession: she had laced the cake with arsenic—a deadly poison she had purchased online for the equivalent of just $11.50.

Carmen went on to state that she had only intended to “scare” Ana and had not meant to cause her harm—claims that officers found questionable, especially after another confession came to light. She admitted that on May 15th, she had sent a poisoned cake to a love rival. Carmen explained that she had done this because two of her boyfriends had left her for the victim.

Similar to Ana’s case, the second victim had also received a note with the cake and had fallen seriously ill, requiring hospitalisation—but fortunately, she survived.

Ana’s father has since commented on his daughter’s nature, stating:

Carmen has since been placed in a young offender’s institution, though her identity remains protected, and no further updates on her sentencing have been released.

Ana Neves was laid to rest on June 3rd 2025. Her school have since issued a public tribute that reads: