Brazilian police have arrested alleged serial killer Jorlan Lopes da Silva, who is accused of murdering 16 people over the past three months and is suspected of killing dozens more over the past 20 years.
Police revealed that, during the manhunt, da Silva hid in camps he built in the forest and was eventually found disguised as a woman while carrying a small child who was not related to him.
Da Silva, 33, operated in the isolated area of Mulungu in Paraiba state in northeastern Brazil, where locals nicknamed him “the mosquito” because of his thin build.
Douglas Garcia, the investigator who led the two-day operation that ended with da Silva’s capture on September 13, said his slight build had helped him evade arrest for years and hide in makeshift camps in dense vegetation.
“Jorlan lived mainly in the forests, which is why it was so difficult to locate him and connect him to crimes that initially did not appear to be related,” Garcia said.
Garcia said police were able to link da Silva to other crimes after he shot and killed an 18-year-old in a square in Mulungu. According to the investigator, the suspected serial killer claims he attacked only criminals, but evidence gathered so far suggests otherwise.
Garcia also said da Silva has provided evidence indicating that he committed additional crimes beyond those for which he is currently facing charges. According to the investigator, da Silva himself said he had killed about 80 people over the course of his life, the first when he was just 13 years old.
This time he didn't escape
Garcia stressed that he could not provide further details about the additional crimes because some investigations are still underway, while others involving unsolved cases are now being reopened. The identities of the victims and details of the circumstances of their deaths are also being kept confidential to allow prosecutors to carry out their work.
Da Silva was captured wearing a black dress with white stripes, a wig and nail polish. He also was wearing sunglasses and carrying a 2-year-old child whom authorities confirmed was not a relative, though they did not provide further details.
“We caught him because he was unable to reach his tent in the forest, so out of desperation he obtained this disguise, took this baby who was not his and was eventually arrested,” Garcia said.
Police had previously said da Silva was a member of a criminal gang that murdered dozens of people in the area.
He denies any connection to local gangs and told investigators at the time of his arrest that he had been waging a “personal war.”