Brazil Arrests 38-Year-Old Woman for Posing as 12-Year-Old to Secure Care
Updated
Updated · Yahoo! Voices · Aug 21
Brazil Arrests 38-Year-Old Woman for Posing as 12-Year-Old to Secure Care
3 articles · Updated · Yahoo! Voices · Aug 21
Summary
Amanda Maria Souza de Oliveira, 38, was arrested in Brazil in June after police said she posed as a 12-year-old and lived with a middle-aged couple for more than a year.
The couple reportedly paid all her expenses, gave her a toy-filled child's bedroom and even held a party for her purported 12th birthday before police confronted her.
Police and media reports say she dropped the childlike voice immediately when challenged, and investigators later found she had used the same story for years with shelters and religious groups across Brazil.
Her usual claim was that she had fled an abusive father and looked older because he forced her to take growth hormones, a backstory witnesses said was detailed enough to win trust.
Oliveira's lawyers argue the deception sought attention rather than money, setting up a court fight over whether the conduct amounts to fraud.