Police arrest boss in Ubatuba on suspicion of murdering cook due to unpaid termination of approximately R$2,600
The São Paulo Civil Police points out that Eliane Alves dos Santos is the main suspect of having killed Berenice Ramos de Aguiar Faria, aged 60, to avoid paying for the termination of the cook’s employment contract. Berenice was last seen on June 30, 2026, when she got a ride with her employer in Ubatuba, a city located on the north coast of São Paulo.
Although the case was initially reported as a disappearance, the police investigation is now working with the hypothesis of homicide. The suspect was temporarily detained last Friday, July 10, 2026. To date, the body of Berenice Ramos de Aguiar Faria has not been found by the authorities.
Eliane Alves dos Santos owns a guesthouse in the Ubatumirim area. According to a statement from one of Berenice’s children to the police, the cook reported having been dismissed by the businesswoman on June 29, 2026, the day before her disappearance, due to the low season. Berenice had mentioned that she was waiting to receive the amounts due for her dismissal and then return to Igaratá, in Vale do Paraíba, where she lived.
The day after the dismissal, on the afternoon of June 30, 2026, Berenice received a ride from the owner of the inn to the access point on Rodovia Oswaldo Cruz (SP-125). Since then, she has not been seen again.
José Carlos de Faria Filho, the victim’s son, informed the police that his mother stopped responding to the family’s messages on the same afternoon of her disappearance. The son added that, when visiting the inn, he learned of an argument between Berenice and the boss. Eliane Alves dos Santos reportedly said that she paid R$2,600 in cash to the cook and took her to the highway interchange.
Still according to her son’s report, Eliane stated that Berenice had found another job in the Praia das Toninhas region. However, José Carlos de Faria Filho expressed disbelief in this version, arguing that the mother would not fail to communicate this fact to any of her three children. He reinforced the cook’s expressed intention to return to her hometown after being dismissed.
Eliane Alves dos Santos’ defense was not located. The space remains open for manifestation.
