Cops Collar Two Men For Assaulting And Burying Woman Alive In Bricked-Up Tomb

Two men accused of assaulting and burying the woman found alive in a bricked-up tomb that made headlines around the world have been seized by the police.

Picture shows the police officers by the tomb in Visconde do Rio Branco, Minas Gerais, Brazil, undated. A woman was rescued from a tomb. (Polcia Militar/Newsflash)

The 36-year-old woman was eventually freed from the tomb after cemetery gravediggers noticed fresh cement and bloodstains on the tomb and the police heard her calls for help.

The incident took place at the Municipal Cemetery of Visconde do Rio Branco, in the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais, with the woman freed on the morning of Tuesday, 28th March, after spending about 10 hours trapped inside the tomb.

The victim, who has not been named, then spent seven days in intensive care in hospital, suffering from head trauma, and is reportedly at risk of losing one of her thumbs, which may need to be amputated.

The police have now said that they have arrested two suspects who are accused of burying her alive in the tomb.

The suspects, who have not been named, are 20 and 22 years old, the police said on Tuesday, 4th April.

Gravediggers had called the police after noticing that the niche had been freshly sealed with bricks and cement, and that bloodstains were present.

When officers arrived on the scene, they heard the woman calling out for help. They then opened the tomb and freed her.

Picture shows woman’s legs by the tomb in Visconde do Rio Branco, Minas Gerais, Brazil, undated. She was rescued alive. (Polcia Militar/Newsflash)

She was taken to the ICU of Sao Joao Batista Hospital in a serious condition.

The woman was allegedly attacked by the two men who went to her house to collect drugs and weapons that had been stored there for safekeeping, possibly by her partner, with the two men discovering that the illegal items had been somehow “misplaced”.

The woman’s partner had then fled the angry pair, but the woman herself had been caught.

Dr Henrique Slaib of the hospital told local media: “She arrived very dirty, with several large cuts on her scalp, a serious injury to her finger, fractures in her arms and possibly a leg fracture, in addition to a traumatic brain injury.”

The woman was sedated and the sedative drugs were withdrawn the next day (29th March).

Dr Slaib said: “She was taken to the ICU, where she was cleaned and sutured. Now the pressure is maintained by her own conditions, and she breathes without the aid of machines.

“She is still drowsy, but we don’t know if it’s due to residual sedation.”

Picture shows woman inside the tomb in Visconde do Rio Branco, Minas Gerais, Brazil, undated. She was rescued alive. (Newsflash)

The medic said that the woman was extremely dehydrated when she was admitted.

However, he added that it was too early to say whether any of her symptoms are the aftereffects of a lack of oxygen to the brain.

Dr Slaib said: “We still don’t know how much of the situation was caused by the trauma and how much is cerebral hypoxia.

“This will have to be evaluated in an MRI. But it’s still too early for that. We focused on the most primary phase, which is to save her life.

“The tomography indicates that surgery will not be necessary.”

The medic added: “The place where she was is possibly hot, and she didn’t ingest anything.

“Not to mention the additional conditions, such as fractures and her own health conditions.”

Picture shows the tomb in Visconde do Rio Branco, Minas Gerais, Brazil, undated. A woman was rescued from a tomb. (Newsflash)

On how much longer she could have endured in the niche, Dr Slaib said: “I don’t know the conditions of the place where she was. If there were any openings, she could have stayed longer.

“The bigger issue is the blows from the assault, some of which are contused cuts caused by an object such as a knife, machete, or something similar.”

Despite her serious condition, Dr Slaib said, the woman is improving., but she may need to have one of her thumbs amputated, with the medic saying: “The thumb was very damaged and the possibilities of vascular surgery and perhaps amputation are being evaluated.”

The Military Police said that the victim had been keeping drugs for two men, but they were “misplaced”.

When the men found out, they allegedly went to the woman’s house and began to attack her.

Her partner, who was present at the time, managed to escape.

However, the Civil Police said that the motive for the crime was likely a “disagreement regarding a firearm”.

The investigation is ongoing.