Nguyen Thi Hong Bich, 36, is facing murder charges, police said Friday.
According to the police, the teenage boy in Dong Nai's Nhon Trach District was rushed to a hospital in Ho Chi Minh City in a comatose state on June 22.
Doctors conducted tests and found cyanide in the patient's body. After intensive treatment efforts, he is now out of critical condition and still in the hospital.
His family reported the case to the police and an investigation led to Bich.
Police said she has admitted to the crime.
Nguyen Thi Hong Bich at a police station in Dong Nai Province, July 5, 2024. Photo by police |
She said that due to conflicts with family members, she bought cyanide to poison her 18-year-old nephew, who lives in the same house with her in Nhon Trach.
Reporting to the police, the patient's family stated that from October 2023 to June this year, five family members had all died under unusual circumstances, with symptoms related to cardiac arrest and arrhythmia.
The five individuals are Nguyen Van Hai, the teen boy's grandfather and Bichs father, two of his grandchildren, one great-grandchild, and his son-in-law.
Cyanide is an extremely toxic substance; even a small amount in the body can be lethal. There have been several murder cases involving this poison in Vietnam over the past years.