Police have arrested a man accused of killing 16 people in a remote area of northeastern Brazil. Authorities claim the accused had been evading capture by hiding in a makeshift camp within the dense jungle for a long period. He was ultimately caught while attempting to flee disguised in women’s clothing.
Lead investigator Douglas Garcia stated that 33-year-old Zorlan Lopes da Silva was arrested on September 13. He noted that Da Silva used his knowledge of the dense jungle to elude the police.
The murders attributed to Da Silva occurred over a span of three months in the remote Mulungu area of Paraíba state.
Locals nicknamed Da Silva “Mosquito” due to his frail and thin physique. Investigator Garcia said that these physical characteristics actually helped him evade the police for so long.
Garcia said, “That is why he managed to avoid arrest for years. Zorlan spent most of his time in the jungle. This made it extremely difficult to locate him and link him to crimes that initially appeared unrelated.”
Reports indicate that detectives were able to connect Da Silva to multiple murders after he was accused of shooting and killing an 18-year-old man in a crowded public square.
During interrogation, Da Silva claimed he had targeted only criminals. However, police stated that the evidence gathered so far does not support this claim.
It has been reported that during questioning, Da Silva confessed to several other crimes beyond the current charges. Garcia stated that investigations into several old, unsolved murder cases are being reopened.
A report by The Independent states that police apprehended Da Silva dressed as a woman, wearing a black-and-white striped outfit, a wig, and with painted fingernails. He was also carrying a child at the time, who was not his own. Garcia said, “This is a completely different person. He revealed that he committed his first murder at the age of thirteen. We managed to catch him because he failed to reach his tent in the forest. In desperation, he adopted that disguise and took along a child who was not his own. That is ultimately how he was arrested.”
