Brazil Police Announce Arrests and Rescues in String of Domestic Violence, Kidnapping and Femicide Cases

Overview

• A woman identified as Lorena de Araújo Duarte was found dead in a Recife apartment; her Uruguayan boyfriend was detained after directing officers to the scene, and the case is being investigated as femicide.
• Police in the Federal District arrested a 44-year-old suspected of attempting to rape a 15-year-old and confirmed he was a wanted fugitive with a prior 56-year sentence for robbery in Pará.
• The Federal District’s prosecutor filed a criminal complaint in the case of a woman whose face was disfigured by her partner, describing cruelty and seeking R$ 200,000 in compensation.
• In Palmas, a 33-year-old woman was rescued after an alleged kidnapping and torture; two men were arrested on charges including torture, sequestro and association with a criminal group as investigators probe possible involvement of adolescents.
• Rio police arrested a suspect in the contract killing of Laís in Sepetiba after his mother identified him to authorities, while investigators say the killing was ordered for R$ 20,000 and the alleged mastermind remains at large.