The heartbroken father of a teenage girl has spoken of his devastation after his daughter and her friend died from eating poisoned raspberries, in a case that has sparked an international manhunt.
Businesswoman Zulma Guzman Castro is now wanted by Interpol after Colombian prosecutors named her as a suspect in the deaths of 13-year-old Emilia Forero and 14-year-old Ines de Bedout. The two girls died in hospital after consuming the contaminated dessert, which was delivered to their luxury apartment in Bogota on 3 April.
A Father's Agonising Tribute
In a poignant social media post, Emilia's father, Pedro Forero, shared his profound grief and paid tribute to his daughter. "Fourteen years ago, a life of hopes, joys and dreams began," he wrote, describing the loss as "incomprehensible."
He lamented the future stolen from his child, saying: "She took away my daughter's opportunity to be a girlfriend, a professional, a wife, a mother and a daughter." In a message accompanying a baby photo, he added: "Daughter, you will always be the greatest love I could ever feel as a father... I am sorry I could not protect you from this broken world."
The Lethal Delivery and International Flight
Forensic analysis revealed the raspberries were deliberately injected with thallium, a colourless, odourless heavy metal famously used in the 2006 London poisoning of former Russian spy Alexander Litvinenko. The substance is lethal even in tiny doses.
Investigators say the dessert was sent via a courier firm. The delivery driver reportedly told police he received the package from a friend of Guzman's and was told it was a gift for the girls, as raspberries were their favourite. The package was accepted on the evening of 3 April after the girls initially refused an earlier delivery, stating they were not expecting anything.
Following the deaths, Guzman is alleged to have fled Colombia for Argentina on 13 April, before travelling to Brazil, Spain, and the UK. Colombia's prosecution service has formally requested Interpol to issue a Red Notice for her arrest.
Motive and a Wider Probe
Local reports suggest the double homicide may be a crime of passion. Guzman, the founder of a car-sharing company called Car-B, is said to have had a secret affair with Juan de Bedout, the father of victim Ines.
In a twist, Colombian newspaper El Colombiano reports that investigators are also re-examining the death of Juan de Bedout's wife, who passed away two years ago. There is now speculation she too could have been a victim of thallium poisoning.
Guzman has protested her innocence in a message obtained by a newspaper, claiming she is not a fugitive but was in Argentina for work and study, and travelled to Europe to visit her son. "I imagine they're accusing me because I had a secret relationship with the father of one of the girls," she stated, adding that prosecutors had not formally informed her of any investigation.
The case continues as an international search for the suspect unfolds.
