Colombia Probes Suspected Thallium Poisoning of Businessman’s Ex-Wife
Colombia’s Prosecutor General’s Office is investigating a criminal complaint against businessman Juan de Bedout Vargas over the suspected thallium poisoning of his former wife, Alicia Graham Sardi, who died in Bogota on Aug. 17, 2021. Her family alleges that medical tests detected the toxic metal shortly before her death and that the results were not […]
Colombian authorities are investigating a suspected thallium poisoning case against businessman Juan de Bedout Vargas, who allegedly orchestrated the death of his ex-wife, Alicia Graham Sardi. The 2021 death of Graham, a former business partner of De Bedout, has been tied to her alleged exposure to thallium, a toxic metal, prior to her passing.
Graham's family claims that medical records failed to record her thallium poisoning diagnosis, which they believe began in 2020. A 24-hour urine test conducted by Labintox on August 3, 2021, detected a thallium concentration of 672.9 micrograms per liter, a level far above the safe threshold. However, this result does not appear in the medical records that were later provided to Graham's family.
The investigation adds a new dimension to the ongoing inquiry surrounding Zulma Guzman, the woman De Bedout reportedly had an affair with. Both Guzman and De Bedout have not been formally charged in connection with Graham's death.
Medical professionals diagnosed Graham with thallium poisoning in December 2020, and she underwent detoxification treatment. However, her symptoms returned, leading to further health issues. Graham's family alleges that De Bedout sought a change of specialist due to concerns about her thallium exposure.
Graham allegedly expressed her fears of further poisoning in messages to her treating physician. After returning to Colombia on July 29, 2021, she stayed with a relative instead of moving back into her own home. She died at Fundacion Santa Fe on August 17, 2021, initially being attributed to terminal cancer before her body was cremated, preventing a subsequent judicial autopsy.
The new case against De Bedout stems from his suspected role in the April 2025 poisoning of two girls and two others, who consumed chocolate-covered raspberries laced with thallium. Guzman is the main suspect in that separate investigation, currently detained in a women's prison in England while awaiting a decision on her extradition back to Colombia.
Written by urgent.news from Colombia One's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
