Cops in Brazil have found the dead body of a missing nurse on a eucalyptus plantation with a bullet wound to the forehead.
Priscila Cardoso da Silva, 35, was last seen leaving the health centre she worked at in the Brazilian municipality of Santana do Paraiso on 15th March.
Cops found her dead body on a eucalyptus plantation in the nearby municipality of Ipaba on 20th March.
The main suspect, Reginaldo Ferreira de Souza, was arrested as he arrived at his mother’s home in the municipality of Guarapari, some seven hours by car from where the body was found, on 19th March.
The 49-year-old suspect has since been transferred to prison in the municipality of Ipatinga, close to where the crime took place, where he remains in preventive detention.
Marks on the victim’s body indicated that Priscila was killed with a shot to the head allegedly fired by Souza, who, according to local media, has confessed to the crime.
The police do not yet know what motivated the suspect to carry out the act. However, the officer in charge of the case told local media that he has an extensive criminal record.
His past convictions include a homicide committed in the state of Bahia and an attempted robbery in the state of Minas Gerais, which is the state where the latest crime took place.
Santana do Paraiso mayor Bruno Morato has declared three days of official mourning in the wake of the nurse’s death.
A statement from the local council read: “The news of the death of our dear Priscila is an irreparable pain for all of us”.
The crime is currently being investigated by the police, and it is not yet known if the victim and suspect were known to each other.
A 36-year-old mechanic is also being investigated after cops tracked down the victim’s car to his workshop in the municipality of Teixeira de Freitas, some seven hours by car from where the body was found.
The vehicle was in the process of being dismantled when police turned up at the location. The man has denied participation in the crime.
The investigation continues.
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