The parents of Greta Marie Otteson, the British woman who lost her life alongside her fiancé Arno Els Quinton, have revealed new details about the case as they continue their fight for justice.
The newly engaged couple was found lifeless in their Vietnamese villa on December 26 last year, three days after consuming contaminated limoncello.
Vietnamese police confirmed that Greta and Arno had been fatally poisoned with methanol, a highly toxic chemical found in antifreeze and cleaning products that is also used to make counterfeit liquor.
Greta’s parents, Paul and Susan, had visited the pair in Vietnam a month before the tragedy.
The parents of Greta Marie Otteson, who passed away alongside fiancé Arno Els Quinton, have provided new details about the case
Image credits: Instagram/lakkabrah
During their visit, they ate several times at Good Morning Vietnam, a well-known Italian restaurant, where they were served free homemade limoncello shots at the end of their meal.
The parents recently told the BBC that, after returning home to Wales, they decided to buy bottles of the drink and have them delivered to their daughter and future son-in-law as a Christmas gift.
Greta and Arno drank the beverage, unaware that the gift had been tainted.
Greta and Arno were found lifeless in their Vietnamese villa last December, days after consuming contaminated limoncello
On Christmas Day, Greta messaged her parents hours after consuming the limoncello, telling them that she had “a terrible hangover and was seeing black spots.”
Her parents reportedly suggested that she go to the hospital, but she refused and decided to “sleep it off.”
The next day, Greta and Arno were found lifeless by a cleaner in separate rooms of the Hoi An Silverbell Villa, the villa they managed.
Police said that their bodies showed no signs of external force, and the villa showed no signs of burglary. Post-mortem examinations revealed that the couple had lost their lives from severe methanol poisoning.
In February, the barman who allegedly made the contaminated drink at the restaurant was charged for “violating regulations on food safety” by “using used 70-degree medical grade alcohol, along with filtered water, lemon peel and white sugar to create two bottles of limoncello,” as per the BBC.
The suspect is currently being held as the investigation continues. According to the Vietnamese central government, they could be sentenced to seven to 15 years in prison if found guilty.
Vietnamese authorities confirmed that the couple had been poisoned by methanol, a toxic chemical sometimes used in counterfeit liquor
Paul and Susan told the BBC that they had been warned investigations take a long time in Vietnam and that the suspect could be held for a year before being charged or released.
“We want justice. We can’t move on,” said Paul. “Susan’s asking me every morning when we wake up, ‘Is there any news? Is there any news?’ I have to say ‘No, nothing yet.’”
“It’s about accountability,” he added. “Justice for us would be naming the people responsible and prosecuting them.”
The couple said they also felt “very upset” the restaurant where they had ordered the drinks was still operating and never publicly apologized to them.
The restaurant reportedly advertises homemade limoncello shots as costing 85,000 Vietnamese dong ($3 USD).
Instead of offering an apology, they “just carried on as if nothing has happened,” said Paul.
“Everything that we’ve worked for over 40 years, it was all for Greta and Arno eventually, but now it’s meaningless.”
Greta’s parents revealed that they were the ones who had bought the drinks for the couple as a Christmas present
The ashes of Greta and her fiancé remain at their home. Paul said he and Susan can’t face putting them to rest until they get “a proper conclusion.”
Hundreds of people are poisoned by methanol every year in South East Asia, according to Doctors Without Borders (MSF).
UK Foreign Office minister Seema Malhotra said the selling of counterfeit beverages “is a deeply concerning issue” that poses “serious, life-threatening risk to British travellers in some parts of the word.”
Counterfeit drinks are often made with methanol because it is cheaper than ethanol. Methanol is both colorless and flavorless, making it difficult to detect, and victims usually do not show symptoms of poisoning immediately.
Symptoms include nausea, vomiting, and abdominal pain, which can escalate into hyperventilation and breathing problems. If not treated, fatality rates are reported to be 20% to 40%, depending on the concentration of methanol and the amount taken, according to MSF.
Greta had been living in Hoi An with Arno, her South African partner of about two years, where they ran a villa renting out rooms to tourists.
The 33-year-old woman, described by her parents as “marvelous,” a “free spirit” and a “hard worker,” had met the 36-year-old in the Middle East before they moved to Vietnam together.
In February, a barman from a local restaurant was charged for violating food safety regulations
Greta reportedly ran a digital marketing agency called Not Sorry Socials, while Arno worked as a barista, musician, and stand-up comedian.
Their passing came three weeks after the couple got engaged.
“We were so happy she picked Arno. He was such a lovely boy. Arno was a great musician, composer and lyricist,” said Paul.
“They were a loving couple with their life ahead of them.”
People lamented the tragedy and called for the culprit to be held accountable
