A 17-year-old boy has been identified as the alleged killer of a young man, whose dad found his severed head in a suitcase, and a young couple – the male victims were the suspect’s friends, say the cops.

The Civil Police (Brazil’s investigative police force) of Rio do Sul, a town in the Brazilian state of Santa Catarina, identified the unnamed teenager as the prime suspect in the three killings.

The suspect is believed to have killed a 21-year-old man and later shot dead a man and wife, aged 23 and 26 respectively, three days apart.

Chief investigator Thiago Cardoso Silva confirmed the development on Thursday, 16th December.

He revealed the teen has been in custody since 16th October and was involved in at least one other death in the region. According to the police chief, the deaths are related to drug trafficking.

During questioning, the teen denied participating in the killings, but otherwise remained silent.

The police chief said the teen was a friend of the two male victims, 21-year-old Renan Kalbush and 23-year-old Rafael Fachner.

The investigator said the suspect killed Rafael’s wife Pamela Silva, 26, because she “had talked”.

Kalbush was last seen, alone, at the town’s bus station on 4th May. A fisherman found his leg in the Itajai-Acu River nine days later, and the victim’s dad found his son’s head in a suitcase.

One man believed to have been involved in the crime was killed during the police investigation.

Pamela Silva was shot dead on 8th October, three days after her husband.

Following her husband’s death, she told the police she was taking a shower when she heard six gunshots. When she got out, she found her husband dead with several perforations to his body.

Pamela Silva was shot dead herself in front of her mother-in-law’s house.

The suspect will be tried for murder.