In a suspected act of revenge, a female entrepreneur is facing accusations of causing the death of two schoolgirls by giving them poisoned fruit as a gift. Zulma Guzman Castro, who has denied the allegations, is accused of being involved in the deaths of Ines de Bedout, aged 14, and Emilia Forero, aged 13. The incident allegedly stemmed from a fallout with Ines’s father, Juan de Bedout, following the souring of their secret romantic relationship. Prosecutors believe that Guzman orchestrated the delivery of chocolate-covered raspberries to the girls through a courier service, exploiting their known preference for the fruit and daily routines.
According to the delivery person, he received the package of raspberries from a friend of Guzman, who instructed him to present it as a gift to the girls, knowing their fondness for it. The raspberries were delivered to the teenagers around 7 pm on April 3, despite their initial rejection of an earlier delivery attempt as they were not expecting anything.
The tragic incident unfolded as Ines and Emilia were playing at an upscale apartment in Bogota, Colombia, after school when they received the unexpected delivery. Within a week, both girls tragically passed away. Another friend and the brother of one of the victims, aged 21, also consumed the raspberries and required medical attention but survived, although one of them suffered lasting injuries.
A forensic analysis confirmed that the chocolate-covered raspberries were intentionally contaminated with thallium, a colorless and odorless heavy metal previously associated with the poisoning of Alexander Litvinenko in 2006. Additionally, authorities are investigating the death of Juan’s wife, who passed away two years before the girls, amid suspicions of thallium poisoning.
After conclusive test results indicated foul play, Colombian authorities enlisted Interpol to apprehend Guzman, the founder of Car-B, a car-sharing company. Guzman allegedly fled to Argentina, prompting Interpol to issue a Red Notice for her arrest. Despite maintaining her innocence, Guzman has reportedly traveled to Brazil, Spain, and the UK after leaving Colombia earlier this year.
In a statement released through Colombian media on December 5, Guzman refuted the accusations against her, claiming she had not fled the country and had been residing in Argentina, pursuing a journalism master’s degree. She disclosed her recent travels to Spain, Brazil, and the UK were related to personal matters, including her son, and speculated that the accusations were fueled by her past secret relationship with one of the girls’ fathers.