What happened
Daisy de Melker became one of South Africa’s most notorious historical poisoners after several close family members died in suspicious circumstances.
The investigation
Investigators exhumed remains and examined allegations that arsenic or other poisons had been used against husbands and her son. The prosecution focused most strongly on the death of her son Rhodes.
What the courts or investigators concluded
De Melker was convicted of murdering her son and sentenced to death. She was acquitted on charges connected with the deaths of her husbands.
Why the case remains significant
Her trial became a sensation in 1930s Johannesburg and remains a classic example of how toxicology transformed a domestic-death inquiry into a major criminal prosecution.
Case context
Crime by Region organizes cases geographically so readers can move from one file to other investigations from the same country. For unresolved or contested cases, the wording above reflects the distinction between confirmed events, investigative theories and findings actually established in court.