# São Paulo criminal and medical investigations

> Live situation record from CLSTR: https://clstr.news/situations/so-paulo-criminal-and-medical-investigations
> Updated: 2026-10-23T13:30:00.000Z. Sources: 31. Developments: 2.

Authorities in São Paulo are managing two distinct investigations involving multiple fatalities.

In the metropolitan area, police are investigating the discovery of at least 17 bodies since early September. Recent findings include a man found in a car trunk in Itapecerica da Serra with signs of torture, and the body of 22-year-old Jean Victor Sousa Guimarães found in the Rio Pequeno neighborhood with his hands tied and head in a black bag. While public speculation has suggested a serial killer, the Public Security Secretariat and the Homicide and Person Protection Department have denied a connection, stating the crimes likely stem from separate motivations. Investigative lines include drug trafficking, sexual crimes, and executions attributed to organized crime factions, such as the ‘tribunal do crime’ used by the PCC. Some suspects have been identified and preventive arrests have been decreed in certain cases, though a connection between the occurrences remains unproven.

Separately, the São Paulo Civil Police have opened an investigation into the deaths of at least six infants at Hospital e Maternidade Salvalus in the Mooca district. Led by the 8th Police District (Brás), the probe involves reviewing medical records and interviewing healthcare professionals to determine the causes of death. Death certificates list sepsis, septic shock, and pneumonia as causes of death.

While official records focus on six cases, legal representative Eduarda Fragnan Gomes states that a support group of approximately 36 mothers has reported losing children at the facility this year, raising suspicions of cross-contamination and hospital-acquired infections. Sanitary surveillance authorities have conducted inspections of the neonatal and pediatric units to evaluate hygiene protocols and infection prevention. The hospital, part of the Hapvida NotreDame Intermédica network, maintains that its internal evaluations have not identified a common infectious origin among the examined cases.

## Claims

- The São Paulo Civil Police opened an investigation into the deaths of at least six infants at Hospital Salvalus. (corroborated by 13 sources)
- Legal representatives claim at least 36 mothers have lost children at the hospital. (corroborated by 13 sources)
- At least 17 bodies have been found in the São Paulo metropolitan area since September. (corroborated by 10 sources)
- Hospital Salvalus has treated over 1,000 children this year. (corroborated by 9 sources)
- Internal evaluations by the hospital have not identified a common infectious origin among the cases. (corroborated by 9 sources)
- The Public Security Secretariat denies the existence of a serial killer in these cases. (corroborated by 8 sources)
- A victim was found in the Rio Pequeno neighborhood with hands tied and a black bag on their head. (corroborated by 6 sources)
- Some deaths are suspected to be linked to organized crime executions known as 'tribunal do crime'. (corroborated by 4 sources)
- Death certificates list sepsis, septic shock, and pneumonia as causes of death. (corroborated by 4 sources)
- A woman's dismembered body was found in black bags near Marginal Tietê. (corroborated by 3 sources)
- The DHPP is investigating cases involving sexual crimes and drug trafficking. (corroborated by 2 sources)
- Security footage captured four people abandoning a body from a black Renault Sandero in Rio Pequeno. (corroborated by 2 sources)

## Timeline

### 2026-10-23: São Paulo police investigate infant deaths at Hospital Salvalus

São Paulo police are investigating infant deaths at Hospital Salvalus. While six cases are officially under inquiry, legal representatives report at least 36 families have lost children due to suspected sepsis.

20 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/so-paulo-police-investigate-infant-deaths-at-salvalus-hospital-1

### 2026-10-21: São Paulo authorities investigate series of bodies found in metropolitan area

São Paulo police are investigating at least 17 bodies found since September. Authorities deny a serial killer is involved, citing distinct motives and individual investigations into organized crime.

15 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/so-paulo-police-investigate-series-of-bodies-found-in-city

---
Cite as: São Paulo criminal and medical investigations. CLSTR, https://clstr.news/situations/so-paulo-criminal-and-medical-investigations