Boy dies after ingesting pellets; police investigate poisoning

The result of the boy's toxicology test report confirmed that he ingested terbufos-sulfoxide, popularly known as chumbinho. He died on Thursday night after more than a week in hospital.

As a result, the main line of investigation by the Baixada Fluminense Homicide Police Station (DHBF) is that the child may have been poisoned. The substance was detected in gastric lavage analyzed at the Legal Medical Institute (IML).

In addition to the pellet, experts also found traces of lidocaine and midazolam in the material collected from the child, but the detection of the substances could be related to medical care at the hospital. According to relatives, on May 31, at a party held by his maternal grandmother, he ate a piece of cake and fell ill.

The incident had been registered on the 2nd at the 64th DP (São João de Meriti) by the boy's father, Ademir de Mello, who already suspected that his son had ingested pellets, a substance often sold illegally as rodenticide.

In recent days, the family reported that the child's health condition was delicate. According to his father, Arthur had severe brain swelling and responded to medication in a limited way.

The boy's mother, Lindiane da Silva, asked for the case to be clarified. “My son’s cure is Justice,” he said.

With the results of the toxicological report, intentional contamination becomes the main suspicion of the DHBF, which took over the case after Arthur's death. Witnesses must be heard and other steps are underway to identify what caused the child's clinical condition. Arthur's father has already given a statement.