THE dad of one of the girls allegedly murdered by a woman who sent them poisonous chocolate-covered raspberries said he cannot comprehend her actions.
Pedro Forero, the dad of 13-year-old Emilia Forero has paid a gut-wrenching tribute to the teen who tragically died in Bogota, Colombia.
Two youngsters died after eating the sweet treats laced with thallium, a colourless and odourless heavy metal.
An agonising social media post published by Emilia’s devastated father Pedro Forero emerged overnight as the youngster was pictured for the first time.
Pedro, speaking shortly before it emerged Colombian prosecutors have a suspect for the horror crime, said: “Fourteen years ago, a life of hopes, joys and dreams began; a life that filled a family, a father and a mother.
“But it wasn’t just the joy of someone else’s life; it was the beginning of the life of an excellent human being who had dreams, hopes and goals.
“As a father, it is incomprehensible to think that someone was capable of taking this away.
“She did not just take away my dreams, my desires and my prospects in life as a father; she did not just take away my opportunity to be a father-in-law, grandfather and everything else one can be as a parent.
“She took away my daughter’s opportunity to be a girlfriend, a professional, a wife, a mother and a daughter.”
The raspberries were said to be delivered on April 3 to a luxury apartment, where they were staying after school.
Ines de Bedout, 14, and her pal Emilia were reported to have at first refused the parcel, believing they weren’t expecting any deliveries, before later ingesting the wickedly laced berries.
In a gut-wrenching message alongside a photo of Emilia as a baby, he added: “Daughter, you will always be the greatest love I could ever feel as a father.
“No girlfriend or wife could ever generate the love I felt when I had you, and I will carry this love with me until the last day of my life.
“I love you and will love you for the rest of my life. I miss you. I am sorry I could not protect you from this broken world.
“Despite the pain, I am glad to have had you in my life. I hope to have one last hug from you, even if it is only in my dreams.”
An Interpol Red Notice had been issued for businesswoman Zulma Guzman Castro after public prosecutors revealed they wanted her for questioning over the deaths of the young girls.
After tests pointing to the youngsters being murdered, Colombia’s prosecution service asked Interpol to arrest university graduate Castro, said to have fled her homeland for Argentina following the girls’ deaths.
Forensic experts have determined the heavy metal, which can be lethal in tiny doses, was deliberately injected into the raspberries.
The poison used was initially linked to the poisoning of former Russian spy Alexander Litvinenko who died in a London hospital in November 2006.
Local reports claim the double homicides could be being a crime of passion as the wanted woman had an affair with Ines’ dad, Juan de Bedout.
Overnight investigators are also said to be probing the death of Juan’s wife, which ensued two years before the schoolgirls were targeted, according to El Colombiano.
They also claim this investigation comes amid speculation she too could have been the victim of thallium poisoning
Castro, who is protesting her innocence, is understood to have spent time in Brazil, Spain and the UK since leaving Colombia earlier this year.
The Red Notice orders police in Interpol’s 196 member countries to locate and detain Castro, whose current whereabouts is unclear.
The two schoolgirls who sadly passed away at Bogota’s benchmark hospital Santa Fe de Bogota Foundation just under a week after they were poisoned.
Another pal and a 21-year-old brother of one of the victims were also hospitalised after snacking on the berries but survived.
The girl who miraculously survived is understood to have suffered lasting injuries.
Prosecutors allege Castro, who left Colombia on April 13, used a courier firm to deliver the fruit dessert at approximately 7:00pm local time.
A delivery man has told investigators he was given the package containing the raspberries by a friend of the fugitive and advised it was a present for them.
Castro, who founded the car sharing company Car-B, has been described as a long-term friend of Ines de Bedout’s family.
She allegedly knew their daily routine and was aware the youngster loved chocolate-covered raspberries.
Castro claimed in a message, which ended up in the hands of a Colombian newspaper: “I find myself in the middle of a very serious situation, where I’m being accused of having been the person who sent a poison that killed two girls.
“They accuse me of having fled to Argentina, and then to Brazil, Spain and the UK. Those who know me know I haven’t fled anywhere.
“They know I’ve been working in Argentina and began a masters in journalism here.
“I went to Spain more than a month ago, with a stopover in Brazil, and then to the UK because of my son.
“I imagine they’re accusing me because I had a secret relationship with the father of one of the girls.”
Castro alleged in the messages that public prosecutors failed to inform her about the investigation.
After Emilia died, her dad urged mourners to put on brightly-coloured clothing instead of black to attend the teenager’s funeral.
He said in a previous social media post: “Today I am trying to find words for something that cannot be explained. Emilia, my driving force in life, left this world leaving an infinite mark on all of us who had the privilege of knowing her, embracing her and loving her.
“I would like to invite those who loved her, those who shared unique and special moments with her, to bid her farewell with love, with gratitude…”