Family members push for answers following duo's toxic limoncello deaths

A devastated parents of a female who passed away alongside her fiance after ingesting poisoned limoncello express they are eager for justice.

The victim, in her thirties, and the man, thirty-six, were found dead on the day after Christmas in Hoi An, the Southeast Asian country, as a consequence of methanol poisoning.

A short time earlier, Greta had texted her parents, Paul and Susan Otteson, to say she had "an extremely bad ill feeling imaginable" and was going to rest, but she never woke up.

A server who reportedly produced the beverage was arrested in last winter and is being held without formal accusation. The parents state they have had little information from the police.

"This is about responsibility," expressed Paul, noting: "They can't move on."

Methanol is a form of alcohol commonly present in household chemicals, energy sources and engine fluids.

The chemical is similar to consumable spirits, which is intended for cocktails, but it is more affordable and highly dangerous to humans due to the way it is handled by the body.

At the family's residence in Rhandirmwyn, their hometown, two containers remain beside the steps – one has a pink bunny placed on top, the second, a blue teddy.

They contain their children's ashes.

"They remain in the living room with us," said Paul, a retired worker. "I want to put them to rest, but we believe we cannot do that until we get a proper conclusion."

Greta had been staying in the Vietnamese city with her partner, her South African boyfriend of approximately two years, where the duo operated a guesthouse renting out rooms to tourists.

She was an only child, referred to by her dad as "amazing", a "free spirit" and a "dedicated individual" who studied in Cardiff, France and the United States.

In November, the father, in his seventies and Greta's mum, 70, had journeyed to Vietnam, getting to know Arno for the first time, and the pair revealed their engagement not long afterwards.

"It was heartwarming – we were so content," mentioned Paul, who pictured Arno as "quiet but highly intelligent" and someone he "would have loved to have as a relative."

During their stay, the group ate a multiple times at an Italian eatery, a famous establishment, where they appreciated the meals and received free shots of homemade specialty drink at the conclusion.

Some weeks later, when the couple had departed Vietnam and were thinking to choose a seasonal offering for the young couple, they remembered the venue and its containers of the beverage and chose to order a few of them for shipping to their child's house.

The decision was a step that would have the heartbreaking consequences.

Within moments of trying the limoncello, their daughter wrote to her relatives on December 25 to say she had a awful headache and was experiencing black spots but dismissed recommendations from her parents, and a visitor who had visited, to obtain professional assistance.

Greta and Arno were found dead in different spaces of the villa on Boxing Day. Hours later, the parents were on a journey to the country.

The father recalled the significant public rumors that followed as well as the challenge to navigate the logistics of handling a death in a foreign country.

Later not long before post mortem examinations confirmed the victims had passed away from acute chemical consumption.

During the winter month, police detained a barman who worked in a eatery in the city for "disregarding laws on consumable products" by "employing previously utilized high-proof non-consumable spirit, along with tap water, citrus rind and sweetener to create two bottles of limoncello."

According to local legal codes, the violation could carry a maximum jail time of a lengthy period.

Many of people are affected by toxic alcohol every year in Southeast Asian nations, based on reports from medical groups.

Greta and Arno's fatalities came only days after multiple people lost their lives of toxic consumption in Laos, a country which shares a boundary with Vietnam.

The family were informed investigations require patience in the country, with the possibility of a individual being kept for a 12 months before being charged or released.

Her parents shared the delay for answers was becoming intolerable.

"We just want justice," said the father. "We cannot heal. Greta's mother asks each day when we wake up, 'have you heard updates? Have there been news?' I have to say 'nothing, no news so far'."
"This situation is about accountability," he added. "A resolution for us would be identifying the parties at fault and taking legal action against them."

The couple said they also felt "very upset" the business where they had purchased the beverage was operating as usual and had not formally apologised.

"They just continued as if no incident has happened," said Greta's parent.

Regarding the family, the grief is still very raw.

Paul

Kelly Martinez
Kelly Martinez

A culinary enthusiast with over a decade of experience in food technology and appliance testing, passionate about helping home cooks achieve perfection.