Brazil police investigate teen disappearances and faction-linked murders

Authorities in Brazil are investigating several high-profile disappearance and homicide cases involving minors and organized crime.

In Bahia, police are searching for three teenagers—Larissa Ribeiro Ferreira (15), Érica Rodrigues dos Santos (15), and Maria Eduarda Santos Flores (17)—who disappeared in early August. Investigators suspect a link to local criminal factions. A 20-year-old man was arrested in Porto Seguro for drug trafficking and illegal possession of ammunition; police found belongings belonging to one of the missing girls in his residence.

In Mato Grosso, the body of 14-year-old Claudia Geovana Dourado de Oliveira was found buried in a shallow grave near the BR-163 highway in the Sorriso region. The investigation began after she was kidnapped from a hotel in Lucas do Rio Verde. Police believe the murder is tied to conflicts between rival criminal factions, specifically the Primeiro Comando da Capital (PCC) and Comando Vermelho (CV). Two suspects have been arrested, and investigators are tracking a white Fiat Mobi used in the crime.