The preliminary findings of autopsies conducted on three members of a family from Seville who died of suspected food poisoning at the weekend have certified the cause of death as cardiorespiratory failure, although the exact cause is yet to be identified.

The investigation has alighted on toxic infection as a potential trigger, given that the youngest daughter in the family, aged 13, did not display the same symptoms as Enrique Caño, 61, his wife Concepción Bautista, 50, or their eldest daughter, aged 14. The rest of the family had eaten fish for dinner, but the 13-year-old, who has been moved from intensive care to a ward, did not.

The results of tests to determine the cause of the fatalities are not expected to be available for some weeks, sources close to the investigation said. In the meantime, all possibilities are being explored.

The initial findings have been handed to the courts, which have decreed judicial secrecy on the case.

After receipt of the preliminary reports, the bodies of the three victims were released for burial.

Threat of legal action

Last Saturday night, the emergency services received a call from the family home reporting symptoms of nausea and diarrhea. An ambulance arrived at their home in Alcalá de Guadaíra, Seville province, at 2.55am, and, according to the regional health authority, followed standard protocol in such cases.

At 9.55am on Sunday morning, the switchboard received another call reporting a serious escalation of the family’s symptoms. Another emergency team was dispatched, which found the parents in a serious condition and their 14-year-old daughter already dead. Caño and Bautista died a few hours later in hospital.

Members of the victims’ extended family said they had not ruled out taking action against the authorities for the emergency services’ handling of the situation.