State court judge Gustavo de Castro Campos, who presided over the 2nd Court of Mococa, was discovered dead inside his engulfed sport utility vehicle in the countryside of São João da Boa Vista, in upstate São Paulo. The 45-year-old magistrate was found charred in the driver’s seat of his Volvo XC60. Emergency crews and local authorities confirmed the recovery of the body late Wednesday evening.

The incident unfolded around 7:15 p.m. on Wednesday, October 7, 2026, on an unpaved road identified as Estrada de Terra Euclides Dotta, near the entrance to Fazenda Aliança. Farm laborers stationed in the agricultural zone noticed the flames from a distance and rushed to contain the blaze using heavy machinery. Operators maneuvered a backhoe to dump piles of dirt over the vehicle, attempting to smother the fire before emergency personnel arrived at the scene.

Military Police patrols and firefighters from the local brigade were summoned to extinguish the fire. Firefighters managed to suppress the remaining hotspots and subsequently located the deceased driver trapped inside the passenger cabin. Investigators established preliminary identification using personal credentials retrieved from the vehicle, including the official national driver’s license belonging to the judge, alongside an abdominal tattoo matching his records.

Civil police launch inquiry and evaluate potential causes

Officers formally registered the occurrence at the central police station under the legal classification of suspicious death. The General Investigations Specialized Unit, known as DIG, assumed charge of the case in São João da Boa Vista and cordoned off the dirt road to safeguard physical evidence. Crime scene technicians from the state scientific police unit conducted an initial survey of the terrain and secured the perimeter for exhaustive forensic collection.

Chief investigator Jorge Mazzi, who heads the specialized detective bureau, stated that operational efforts remain in their opening phase and center on reconstructing the final movements of the magistrate. Detectives are reviewing telephone activity, prior meetings, and possible travels before the car stopped on the rural track. Mazzi confirmed that all investigative lines remain open, noting that authorities will not jump to preliminary conclusions regarding the precise origin or circumstances surrounding the fatality.

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The sequence of events leading up to the vehicle catching fire has not yet been determined by the investigating team. Specialists are analyzing whether the blaze stemmed from an unexpected mechanical failure, third-party foul play, or other undetermined events. Law enforcement agencies have reported no arrests in connection with the incident, and the definitive cause of death hinges on incoming autopsy findings from the local medico-legal institute, which will also complete formal genetic and forensic dental verification.

Career across courts and previous public service in Brazil

Gustavo de Castro Campos earned his law degree from Centro Universitário Braz Cubas and had served as a presiding judge in the São Paulo State Court of Justice for 12 years. Prior to joining the judicial branch in São Paulo, he spent a decade practicing private law, served as a police chief in civil policing, and worked as a substitute magistrate in the nearby Espírito Santo state judiciary in 2014. His multidisciplinary legal career encompassed both criminal procedure and general jurisdictional oversight across several regional municipalities.

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Throughout his judicial tenure in São Paulo, he held assignments in the regional jurisdictions of Tambaú and Leme before taking charge of the 2nd Court of Mococa. During his posting in Tambaú, a practicing attorney filed a criminal complaint alleging defamation against the judge following a procedural disagreement during a 2020 court hearing. The Special Body of the São Paulo Court of Justice reviewed the petition in 2022, unanimously throwing out the charges and closing the case without sanction.

Laboratory inspections of the impounded vehicle and comprehensive post-mortem examinations at the forensic medical facility will continue over the coming days. Ballistic analyses and chemical reviews will accompany the anatomical reports to provide the technical foundation required by state prosecutors and judicial authorities.