Tragic last pic of Brit Greta Otteson & fiance with ‘Welsh red’ moped before being ‘poisoned’ by limoncello in Vietnam
A TRAGIC last picture of Greta Otteson and her beloved fiance shows the pair with a “Welsh red” moped just hours before they died.
The bodies of the 33-year-old Brit and her South African fiance Arno Els, 36, would be found three days later – after they are thought to have drank toxic limoncello in their Vietnamese villa.
In a photo snapped on December 23, the pair are smiling and standing next to a red moped they had just bought.
But they tragically would be found in separate rooms just hours later on Boxing Day after they had drunk a poison on Christmas Eve.
The pair are thought to have ordered two “homemade” bottles of the classic Italian digestif from a local restaurant – but didn’t know the drink had been laced with methanol.
The business is said to be popular in the area and a photo of their menu online shows they offer the lemon liqueur at a cheap price.
A shot costs only 85,000 Vietnamese Dong (£2.70) and, according to the menu, is homemade.
The next day, Otteson contacted her parents and told them she had a terrible hangover with black spots in her vision.
A local pal tried to take them to hospital, but the pair tragically refused.
In a statement given to The Times, Otteson’s parents, Susan and Paul, described their only child as “beautiful”.
They said: “Both Greta and Arno were experienced worldwide travellers. They found their perfect home and were incredibly happy with their life in Vietnam, planning for the future.”
“We were so happy she picked Arno. He was such a lovely boy. Arno was a great musician, composer and lyricist.
“They bought a second-hand bike and were so proud. Susan told Greta, ‘Make sure it’s red for Wales’.”
Susan and Paul now want to bring the people that supplied the methanol-laced limoncello to justice.
They say they have full confidence in Vietnamese authorities to conduct a thorough investigation.
The parents said Vietnamese cops have told them an autopsy confirmed the cause of death was methanol poisoning.
The restaurant the alcohol was bought from reportedly remains open.
Susan and Paul flew to Vietnam for the cremation of the pair earlier this month and have returned home with the ashes to Bahrain.
It came just three weeks after the pair shared a heartwarming video on YouTube announcing their engagement.
The pair arrived at the property in July and registered for a long-term temporary residence at the £105 per night villa.
Cops say there was no sign of external trauma to the bodies, their villa had not been ransacked, and their phones were untouched.
Friends have since paid tribute to the loved-up couple following their shocking deaths.
One said: “Greta loved Arno unconditionally and was his bedrock, giving him the freedom to do what he needed to without a faltering foundation.
“There are two distinct things that are so prominent in my thoughts and that is her laugh and how much love they constantly [threw] at each other, regardless of who was around.
“They celebrated each other there and I know they will continue doing that, wherever they are.”
Arno’s friend Dayle Visser thanked his “fierce friend” saying: “You were real and lived life harder than most people could ever dream of.
“I love you and I will always miss you.”
Tragically, methanol poisoning is also what killed backpackers in Laos just a month earlier.
Laos cops quickly took action after six backpackers were killed by methanol-laced vodka in November.
They shut down the factory the drinks were made at after the travellers drank Tiger Vodka liquor while at Nana Backpackers Hostel.
Eight staff have also been arrested after reportedly refusing to call an ambulance for the dying guests.
Among the victims were Danish friends Anne-Sofie Orkild Coyman, 20, and Freja Vennervald, 21, who died after they were left “vomiting blood” for 13 hours.