Larissa Morata dies from gunshot wound in Embu das Artes

Police found twenty-nine-year-old Larissa Cruz Morata dead from a single gunshot wound to the head inside the bathroom of her home in Embu das Artes, Greater São Paulo, on the morning of September 6, 2026. First responders discovered a service pistol belonging to her partner positioned directly underneath her body on the floor.

Conflicting accounts emerge from the Embu das Artes residence

Her husband, military police officer Vinícius, told responding personnel that the victim took her own life.

Learn more: Woman found shot dead with officer gun in Embu das Artes

Relatives rejected that claim. Family members told civil authorities that the case represents a femicide, noting that Larissa Cruz Morata lived peacefully and was actively planning cosmetic procedures. The officer’s sister provided key testimony to police after stating that she visited the home hours before the shooting and witnessed a heated dispute between the couple regarding a permanent separation.

Emergency response and suspicious death registration

The emergency call dispatched units to the residence at 11:00 a.m., arriving at a property the couple had rented less than a month earlier. SAMU personnel confirmed the death.

• First responders located Larissa Cruz Morata on the bathroom floor with severe head trauma caused by the projectile.
• Authorities registered the event as a suspicious death because early evidence showed no clear signs of self-inflicted harm.
• Detectives requested surveillance recordings from neighboring security cameras to track movements around the house prior to the gunfire.

Civil Police investigators questioned Vinícius on site as he remained inside the Embu das Artes residence when police cars and ambulances arrived. Forensic investigators collected physical samples and ordered specialized trajectory ballistics tests inside the bathroom to establish whether Larissa Cruz Morata fired the service weapon herself or died at the hands of another person inside the Embu das Artes home. Those technical laboratory reports will establish the trajectory of the bullet and identify whether gunshot residue matches the victim or her husband. Investigators are examining the physical evidence to establish how the shot was fired.

Official review by the public security secretariat

In an official statement, the Secretaria da Segurança Pública reported that the Civil Police is examining all possible hypotheses surrounding the fatal shooting.

Public security officials confirmed that investigators will await the final results of forensic tests before determining the definitive classification of the incident. The fatal firearm remains in police custody in Embu das Artes.