A 10-year-old girl, found dead in her home in Peruíbe, on the coast of São Paulo, had no social life and was away from school. The information was released by delegate Izabela Coelho Fernandes, responsible for the city’s Women’s Defense Police Station (DDM), which conducts the investigations. The absence of a support network and lack of school attendance are factors that deepen the victim’s vulnerability.
The child’s mother was arrested on August 25, 2026, on suspicion of involvement in sexual exploitation. The identity of both the mother and the girl was protected in the process, aiming to protect another son from the person being investigated, who was the one who located his deceased sister.
The delegate revealed that reports from the Legal Medical Institute (IML) indicated the presence of signs of previous sexual violence on the victim’s body. In addition to the mother, two neighboring residents, aged 74 and 47, gave statements and are also the subject of investigations related to the child’s death.
Shocking details about the child’s lonely life
As determined by delegate Izabela, during witness interviews, reports indicated that the girl was frequently seen in drug trading areas and places considered to be of “dubious reputation” in the early hours of the morning, always in the company of her mother and other men.
The delegate described the girl’s routine: “This child, her life in the last few months, was always in the company of her mother. She wasn’t attending school, she didn’t have access to her cell phone. She had no social life, it was always either at home or in places with a dubious reputation.”
According to the delegate’s findings, the mother is a drug user and had her temporary arrest ordered for 30 days. The measure aims to ensure the integrity of the steps still necessary in the investigation.
“There is a contradiction in relation to the alteration of the crime scene. The cleaning of the scene before the arrival of forensic experts”, stated the delegate.
The arrest order was issued by the Peruíbe Court on the same day, following a request from the Civil Police and the Public Ministry. The police report indicates that the child was found dead in his room in the early hours of August 10, 2026.
Investigation into the cause of death remains open
The incident record, classified as a suspicious death and with reasonable doubt about suicide, indicated that the girl had injuries compatible with the possibility of sexual intercourse or another type of sexual act.
However, the exact circumstances that led to the child’s death continue to be investigated by DDM. The Civil Police clarified that “investigations continue under secrecy” and that the woman “remains protected by the constitutional principle of the presumption of innocence, until a final judicial decision is possible.”
