Brazil Police Arrest Suspect in 16 Killings Disguised as Woman With Toddler

Q: How did a suspected serial killer acquire an unrelated baby to use as a prop in his bizarre disguise to evade police?

It is not publicly known. Police have said only that he was carrying a baby or toddler who was not related to him when he was arrested in Mulungu, and that investigators were still trying to determine how he came to be with the child. The available reporting does not establish whether he abducted the child, borrowed the child from someone who did not know he was fleeing police, or obtained the child through an accomplice. Authorities have said the child was unharmed, but they have not released details about the child’s identity, the circumstances in which the child was found with him, or whether any separate criminal charges related to the child are being pursued. Some reports describe the child as about 2 years old, but beyond that the facts remain limited. In short, the baby appears to have been used as part of a disguise to make him look less suspicious, but the key question of how he acquired the child has not been answered by police in any public statement so far.

3 articles · Updated · KOMO News · Sep 18

Jorlan Lopes da Silva, 33, was arrested Sunday in Mulungu, Paraíba, after police said he tried to evade capture wearing women’s clothes and a wig while carrying a toddler.
Police in Paraíba say the child was not harmed, and a judge ordered Silva held after a custody hearing before his transfer to Alagoinha Public Jail.
Investigators have linked Silva to at least 16 killings in the Vale do Mamanguape region and are also probing suspected ties to a violent criminal organization.
Silva allegedly told police he had killed about 80 people over two decades, starting at age 13, though authorities have publicly tied him to a smaller number of cases.