Bodies of mother and 8-year-old son found stuffed INSIDE COUCH days after they disappeared
GOIAS, BRAZIL: In a horrific incident, the remains of a mother and her son have been discovered inside a sofa almost a week after they vanished. On August 6, local law enforcement officials reportedly found the bodies of Joicimeire Conde Cardoso and her eight-year-old child, João, stuffed inside the abandoned sofa in the west of Goias, which is nearly 120 miles from Brasilia, the capital of Brazil.
As per authorities, the 38-year-old woman and the boy were murdered on July 31 and a day later, their bodies were jammed inside the settee. Deputy Gustavo Barreto Cabral claimed that while Joicimeire’s remains were underneath the couch, João’s was in the upper backrest part. During their investigation, detectives identified 55-year-old Benjamim de Araújo as the accused in the case.
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Benjamim is reportedly a farm worker. It has also been said that he and Joicimeire were in a relationship. According to investigators, there were "several indications" hinting the suspect attacked the mother-son duo at a house. “They are also looking into if anyone helped the assailant in the attempted cover-up,” The Mirror reported.
Local reports said that Benjamim is about to face a trial after being accused of another assault by Joicimeire before her death. His trial hearing is scheduled for August 19. She had reportedly blamed him for "curses, punches and punches, as well as being thrown against the wall and having her arms pulled." But the suspect had refuted those charges, claiming the woman hurt herself.
It has also been reported that before vanishing, Joicimeire and João were living with Benjamim. “Witnesses told police they heard noises of ‘aggression’ from inside the suspect's house on the evening of July 31. The victim and her son have not been seen since that date, family members say,” The Sun reported. However, the man defended himself by saying he was under the influence of alcohol and fell asleep on that day. He also added that after waking up, he did not find the victims in his house.
The double murder comes more than a year after another sinister crime shook Brazil. Gabriela Lima Santana was murdered and her body was chopped into pieces earlier in 2021 before the remains were found inside a suitcase in a drainage trench. Besides the body parts, saws and knives were also retrieved from inside the bag.
The investigation also revealed that the suspects filmed the grisly murder of Santana. Police analyzed a video that showed the woman’s horrific final moments. In the clip, she was seen stuck inside a bathroom with an accused. At the time, reports said that the detectives arrested two suspects, a 49-year-old man who appeared in the video and a 23-year-old man who apparently made the clip.
