Parents struggle for answers after couple's contaminated lemon liqueur fatalities
A grieving parents of a lady who lost her life beside her partner after consuming poisoned lemon-flavored alcohol express they are eager for accountability.
Greta Otteson, 33, and her partner, 36, were found dead on Boxing Day in the coastal city, Vietnam, as a result of methanol poisoning.
A short time earlier, the woman had messaged her parents, her relatives, to say she had "a terrible headache possible" and was going to lie down, but she passed away in her sleep.
A server who supposedly prepared the drink was arrested in last winter and is being kept without formal accusation. Her relatives explain they have had little information from the police.
"This is about answers," stated Greta's dad, adding: "They cannot find closure."
Methanol is a variety of compound often present in household chemicals, gasoline and engine fluids.
It is similar to drinking alcohol, which is safe for alcoholic drinks, but it is less expensive and far deadlier to humans because of the way it is processed by the human system.
In the parents' residence in their community, their hometown, a pair of urns remain near the entryway – the first has a pink bunny sitting on top, the second, a plush bear.
The containers hold their children's ashes.
"They remain in the living room with the family," explained the father, a ex- worker. "I want to lay them to peace, but we think we can't do that until we get a clear answer."
The woman had been living in the coastal town with Arno, her South African boyfriend of approximately 24 months, where the couple operated a villa offering units to visitors.
Greta was an sole offspring, remembered by her dad as "amazing", a "independent soul" and a "committed professional" who studied in Cardiff, France and the United States.
During November, the father, in his seventies and Greta's mum, in her seventies, had journeyed to Southeast Asia, encountering their future son-in-law for the first time, and the two shared their planned marriage soon afterwards.
"Their time together proved beautiful – everyone were so joyful," recalled the father, who pictured his daughter's partner as "calm but very bright" and someone he "had hoped to have as a family member."
In their trip, the family ate a several times at Good Morning Vietnam, a famous dining spot, where they liked the food and accepted free servings of homemade specialty drink at the conclusion.
Some weeks later, when the couple had returned from the country and were trying to decide on a seasonal offering for their daughter and her partner, they thought back to the restaurant and its bottles of the beverage and decided to arrange delivery for a few of them for delivery to their child's house.
It was a action that would have the most devastating results.
Within a short time of trying the limoncello, Greta contacted her family on December 25 to say she had a awful hangover and was experiencing black spots but dismissed suggestions from her parents, and a visitor who had stopped by, to get medical help.
The pair were found dead in individual spaces of the villa on December 26. Hours later, the parents were on a journey to the country.
Greta's dad remembered the significant social media speculation that followed as well as the struggle to handle the logistics of handling a death in a different country.
Soon not long before medical reports revealed the couple had died from severe chemical consumption.
During the winter month, police detained a employee who worked in a eatery in the city for "breaking rules on food safety" by "using repurposed strong non-consumable alcohol, along with H2O, fruit skin and white sugar to produce several units of the beverage."
According to national regulations, the violation could result in a potential prison term of multiple years.
Numerous of people are poisoned by methanol each year in South East Asia, as stated by medical groups.
Their fatalities came mere weeks after several people were killed of methanol poisoning in Southeast Asia, a territory which shares a boundary with Vietnam.
Paul and Susan were warned legal processes require patience in the country, with the likelihood of a suspect being detained for a extended period before being formally accused or released.
They shared the delay for resolution was becoming intolerable.
"The family just want closure," stated Paul. "The family are stuck. Susan says to me every morning when we rise, 'have you heard information? Is there developments?' I have to say 'no, no progress at this time'."
"This situation is about answers," he continued. "Closure for the family would be naming the individuals at fault and prosecuting them."
The couple said they also felt "deeply disturbed" the establishment where they had purchased the limoncello was still open and had not formally apologised.
"The owners just proceeded as if no incident has occurred," stated Paul.
In the case of the parents, the sorrow is still very fresh.
Greta's dad