A Colombian examination into teh deaths of two girls from thallium poisoning has broadened to include scrutiny of the 2021 death of one victim’s mother,authorities announced this week. The case, which began after the girls fell ill in April following a gathering at a Bogotá apartment, now centers on potential links between the poisonings and a previous, seemingly unrelated death, as well as a complex web of personal relationships involving businessman Juan de Bedout Vargas and businesswoman Zulma Guzmán Castro, who is now a fugitive wanted by Interpol.
The deaths of two girls who consumed raspberries contaminated with thallium in April have prompted a review of circumstances surrounding the death of one of the girls’ mothers, according to the Attorney General’s Office.
The investigation was opened one week after the girls became ill, with businessman Juan de Bedout Vargas, the father of one of the deceased children and owner of the apartment where the contaminated raspberries were delivered, being called to testify.
READ ALSO
From Possible Flu to Poisoning
Table of Contents
Zulma Guzmán denies any connection to the double homicide. Photo:Supplied by authorities
In an exclusive interview, attorney Majer Abushihab, representing the Forero family – the family of the other deceased girl – asserted that more individuals are involved in this case, which has gripped the nation and is being rapidly investigated by authorities.
According to statements provided by De Bedout, which were reviewed exclusively by news outlets, he took his 14-year-old daughter to the clinic after learning the Forero girl had been hospitalized. He initially believed his daughter had a fever and administered Dolex. The following day, when her condition didn’t improve, he gave her another medication. It was then that the parents of the other girls who had been at his apartment consuming raspberries – including the Forero girl – informed him they were at the clinic due to something they had eaten.
De Bedout, 55, told investigators he initially dismissed the possibility of a flu outbreak and immediately took his daughter to the doctor. While registering her, he learned the Forero girl had died. This case underscores the swift and serious nature of the investigation into the raspberry poisoning.
READ ALSO
The Case of Alicia Grahan de Bedout
Santa Fe de Bogotá Foundation Photo:Private Archive
During his testimony, De Bedout stated that his wife had suffered thallium poisoning four years prior. While investigators initially discounted this, as thallium takes time to manifest its effects, the death of his daughter was later confirmed to be caused by thallium poisoning.
Following initial questioning about the apartment where the contaminated raspberries were delivered, investigators focused their attention on the death of Alicia Grahan Sardi, Juan de Bedout’s wife.
Grahan Sardi died on August 17, 2021, at the Santa Fe Foundation, but De Bedout maintained she “did not die from thallium, but from cancer, a very painful disease.” He then admitted his wife had been poisoned with thallium on two separate occasions.
De Bedout even named a respected physician who diagnosed the presence of thallium in his wife after she began losing her hair, despite having passed all cancer control tests and having her immunosuppressants removed.
READ ALSO
Messages from Zulma Guzmán
Businesswoman Zulma Guzmán Castro allegedly sent messages to Juan de Bedout. Photo:EL TIEMPO/ Private Archive
The physician determined the first poisoning had occurred approximately six weeks earlier, in late September 2020. De Bedout stated that during that time, they were outside of Bogotá (in Sutatausa) and had not ordered any deliveries, suggesting accidental ingestion.
He also mentioned trips to Armero to visit family and to Ubaté.
Following treatment for thallium intoxication, De Bedout’s wife showed significant improvement, but relapsed in July 2021 during a trip to Europe. Her hair began falling out again, and she experienced pain in her feet. Upon their return to Colombia in August, she was hospitalized. De Bedout says he told doctors it was thallium poisoning, and she died shortly after from systemic failure.
According to De Bedout, doctors explained that his wife’s body began producing both good and bad cells in an attempt to defend against the thallium, ultimately leading to cancer.
This is where Zulma Guzmán enters the picture, a businesswoman with whom De Bedout admitted to having an affair and receiving several concerning messages. The investigation is now expanding to explore potential connections between Guzmán and the poisonings.
READ ALSO
A Complicated Situation in Cartagena
De Bedout says he met Zulma Guzmán in 2018 during a conference in Cartagena. Photo:iStock
As Guzmán herself indicated in a message from her phone, she had an extramarital affair with Juan De Bedout, which he describes as a complication following a conference in Cartagena in 2018.
Authorities are particularly interested in the fact that De Bedout admitted the woman captured on security cameras near his residence three years ago placing a tracking device on his car was Zulma Guzmán, despite initially claiming he didn’t recognize her.
While he said that after his wife’s death, Guzmán only sent him books on personal growth, he acknowledged another incident in August 2024.
READ ALSO
‘With Any Fool, But Not Me’
After having ice cream with his then-girlfriend at a restaurant, De Bedout says he received a message from Guzmán stating: “Seriously, with any fool, but not me. What an idiot.”
According to De Bedout, the last information he had about Guzmán was that she was moving to Buenos Aires. She is now wanted by Interpol, and authorities do not rule out linking other individuals to the case.
UNIDAD INVESTIGATIVA
@UinvestigativaET
Síganos ahora en Facebook
