Neurologist Arrested as Suspected Mastermind of 2020 Pharmacist Killing in Brazil

Overview

• Claudia Soares Alves was detained in Itumbiara in a joint Minas Gerais–Goiás operation on suspicion of ordering the murder of Renata Bocatto Denari to take the victim’s daughter.
• Two neighbors described as a father and son were taken into temporary custody and transferred to Uberlândia as investigators work to define their roles.
• A search of Alves’s home found a pink-painted room with children’s clothes, a crib and a reborn baby doll, which police cite as material evidence of the alleged motive.
• During a post-arrest forensic exam, police say Alves calmly sang part of A-ha’s Take On Me.
• Records show she was arrested in 2024 for abducting a newborn and trying to register the baby with false documents, while detectives now probe possible payments and whether to convert temporary detentions to preventive custody; her defense has not responded to requests for comment.