Cotia double murder: Civil Police request temporary arrest of businessman Eric Conrado Alves de Almeida

The Civil Police of São Paulo State asked the court for the temporary arrest of businessman Eric Conrado Alves de Almeida, 41, the main suspect in the killings of lawyer Anna Gabriela Faria Lima, 29, and her 6-year-old son, Raphael Faria Lima Ferrari. The bodies were found on the night of Tuesday, November 3, 2026, lying on a double bed inside an apartment in Cotia, in Greater São Paulo.

According to the investigation, the double killing took place between the night of Sunday (1) and the early hours of Monday (2) inside a residence on Estrada Manoel Lages do Chão. Security cameras recorded the suspect entering the building with the woman and the boy at 9:35 p.m. on Sunday. He left alone at 2:14 a.m. the next day, and no third person was seen moving around in that period.

Police classify case as femicide and vicaricide

The case is being handled by the Cotia Police Station as qualified femicide and vicaricide. Vicaricide is the legal term for the deliberate killing of children or close relatives to inflict extreme psychological suffering on a woman. According to the first findings, the boy was killed in the same context of gender violence directed at his mother.

Statements from relatives and witnesses describe a turbulent relationship marked by repeated breakups and reconciliations. Police also gathered reports of persistent stalking, controlling surveillance and direct threats. In one earlier episode, the businessman displayed a firearm to intimidate Anna Gabriela.

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Phone call to a law office led police to the bodies

The bodies were located after a public defender went to a police station to report a phone call received by a law firm in Campinas, in the interior of São Paulo state. Eric Conrado called the lawyers, said two people were dead inside the apartment and gave the full address. Officers went to the building and, with the consent of the building manager, entered the locked home.

Anna Gabriela’s mother had reported her missing on Sunday (1), after her daughter said she would have dinner with a friend. The missing-person report was registered at 6:40 p.m. at the 2nd Police District of Cotia, in Granja Viana, according to the police. The friend later told the family the meeting had never been arranged, and the victim’s car stayed parked in front of the residential building throughout the days of the crime.

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Forensic experts searched the apartment and ordered necropsy and toxicology exams at the Institute of Legal Medicine (IML). Investigators also tracked phone lines and the vehicle used by the suspect to support the arrest warrants. As of this report, the suspect had not been located, and the Justice system was still analyzing the temporary arrest request.