Police Search São Paulo‑Rio Border for Missing Cook Berenice Ramos

Police in São Paulo are conducting searches along the state border with Rio de Janeiro after an anonymous tip indicated a possible location for the remains of 60‑year‑old cook Berenice Ramos de Aguiar Faria. Berenice vanished on 30 June after accepting a ride from Eliane Alves Dos Santos, the owner of the restaurant where she worked in Ubatuba. Security cameras captured part of the trip in Eliane’s pickup truck. The case, initially recorded as a disappearance, is now being treated as a possible homicide. Eliane was temporarily detained on 10 July as investigators seek to determine whether she paid Berenice R$ 2,600 and offered a ride to a highway junction where the victim was last seen. Search teams are focusing on the area between Ubatuba (São Paulo) and Paraty (Rio de Janeiro).