Nguyễn Thị Hồng Bích. — Photo from Đồng Nai Police

ĐỒNG NAI — The People’s Procuracy of the southern province Đồng Nai has issued its indictment against 40-year-old Nguyễn Thị Hồng Bích from Phước An Commune, on charges of murder along with illegal possession, transport and use of toxic substances.

Bích – making a living with a small food joint specialised in Vietnamese noodles and rice dishes – is suspected of deliberately poisoning her husband and three nephews with cyanide, resulting in multiple deaths within her extended family, in a shocking case.

The infamous case first drew public attention in mid-2024 when Bích’s 19-year-old nephew N.H.B.T. suddenly collapsed after taking what she claimed was herbal medicine for acne. Relatives rushed him to hospital, where tests by the HCM City Institute of Public Health confirmed high levels of cyanide in his stomach. Doctors managed to save his life, though he was left with 23 per cent bodily harm.

The incident prompted his uncle T.V.B., 46, to alert police, suspecting foul play. Investigators soon uncovered evidence pointing to deliberate poisoning.

During questioning, Bích admitted to spiking the capsule with cyanide due to a monetary dispute with the sister-in-law.

She also confessed to earlier poisonings that had not been linked to her at the time.

According to investigators, she had swapped her husband Nguyễn Thoại Thanh Thế’s medication with cyanide capsules, leading to his death. She also admitted to lacing drinks with cyanide that killed her nephew N.K.D. (8 years old, son of her younger sister) and nephew N.H.N. (13 years old, son of her elder brother).

Authorities said Bích initially bought cyanide online in 2022, claiming she intended to commit suicide because of her husband’s debts. Instead, she kept the substance hidden in the bathroom of her bedroom. Over time, conflicts with relatives allegedly led her to use the poison against her own family.

Prosecutors described her actions as “particularly dangerous to society,” marked by “cruelty and disregard for the law” and "seriously infringing upon the right to life," shocked public opinion and causing widespread anxiety in society, especially as the victims were all members of her own family.

The indictment notes that there is no evidence to prove she was responsible for the deaths of her father Nguyễn Văn Hải, who died in late 2023, and her 15-year-old daughter, who passed away in March 2023.

The case has now been transferred to the provincial court for trial soon. — VNS