Family members fight for justice over couple's contaminated lemon liqueur tragic passing

A heartbroken parents of a woman who passed away together with her partner after drinking tainted lemon-flavored alcohol say they are desperate for justice.

Greta Otteson, 33, and Arno Quinton, in his mid-thirties, were discovered deceased on Boxing Day in the tourist destination, Vietnam, as a result of methanol poisoning.

A short time earlier, the woman had contacted her family, her relatives, to say she had "a terrible ill feeling imaginable" and was going to sleep, but she did not awaken.

A barman who reportedly made the limoncello was taken into custody in February and is being detained without charge. The family say they have had no further updates from the authorities.

"This is about accountability," said Greta's dad, adding: "They cannot find closure."

Toxic alcohol is a variety of chemical commonly found in cleaning products, fuel and engine fluids.

It is like consumable spirits, which is intended for alcoholic drinks, but it is more affordable and more toxic to individuals as a result of the way it is metabolized by the human system.

At the family's house in their community, Carmarthenshire, a pair of urns sit near the entryway – one has a pink bunny resting on top, the other, a blue teddy.

These contain the couple's cremated remains.

"They stay in the living room with us," explained Mr Otteson, a retired worker. "The family want to put them to rest, but we believe we are unable to do that until we get a proper conclusion."

Greta had been residing in Hoi An with the man, her foreign fiance of about 24 months, where the duo ran a guesthouse leasing spaces to travellers.

Their daughter was an sole offspring, referred to by her parent as "amazing", a "adventurous person" and a "hard worker" who studied in the UK, France and America.

In November, Greta's dad, in his seventies and Greta's mum, in her seventies, had journeyed to the Asian country, meeting Greta's partner for the initial occasion, and the couple announced their planned marriage not long afterwards.

"The trip felt lovely – we were so joyful," said the father, who referred to Arno as "quiet but very bright" and someone he "dreamed to have as a family member."

During their trip, the group enjoyed meals a multiple times at Good Morning Vietnam, a famous Italian restaurant, where they appreciated the cuisine and accepted free glasses of handcrafted limoncello at the end.

Several weeks later, when the couple had returned from Vietnam and were trying to decide on a seasonal offering for their daughter and her partner, they recalled the restaurant and its bottles of their specialty drink and opted to purchase a couple of them for delivery to their child's house.

The decision was a step that would have the most devastating outcomes.

After a short time of consuming the beverage, the woman contacted her parents on the holiday to say she had a severe hangover and was noticing dizziness but dismissed suggestions from them, and a friend who had come over, to obtain professional assistance.

The couple were discovered deceased in individual spaces of the villa on Boxing Day. Soon later, Paul and Susan were on a flight to Southeast Asia.

The father described the widespread social media rumors that ensued as well as the challenge to handle the practicalities of coping with a tragedy in a different country.

Later quickly before autopsies revealed the victims had died from severe toxic ingestion.

In the winter month, police apprehended a bartender who was employed in a restaurant in the city for "disregarding rules on food safety" by "employing previously utilized strong non-consumable spirit, along with filtered water, lemon peel and white sugar to make several units of limoncello."

According to Vietnamese regulations, the violation could result in a potential jail time of multiple years.

Hundreds of victims are affected by toxic alcohol annually in South East Asia, as stated by medical entities.

The couple's deaths came just a short time after six people died of similar causes in Southeast Asia, a country which shares a boundary with Vietnam.

Paul and Susan were told legal processes take a long time in the region, with the chance of a suspect being kept for a 12 months before being charged or freed.

They expressed the period for resolution was becoming intolerable.

"We just want justice," said Greta's dad. "We cannot heal. Susan questions daily when we wake up, 'is there news? Have there been changes?' I have to say 'nothing, no progress at this time'."

"This situation is about answers," he added. "Closure for us would be naming the parties at fault and charging them."

Paul and Susan said they also felt "extremely angered" the restaurant where they had requested the limoncello was still open and had not publicly expressed regret.

"The management just continued as if nothing has taken place," stated Paul.

For Paul and Susan, the pain is still very raw.

Greta's dad