Police in the southern region of Brazil are continuing their search for the missing head of a 65-year-old woman who was brutally murdered and dismembered.
The victim, Brasília Costa, was allegedly killed by her 66-year-old partner, Ricardo Jardim, in Porto Alegre, the capital of Rio Grande do Sul. The investigation began after the discovery of the victim’s torso inside a suitcase at the city’s bus station on August 20. Jardim was apprehended in September, with authorities claiming the murder occurred on August 9, driven by financial motives as Jardim attempted to use Ms. Costa’s credit cards.
Jardim, an advertising executive, had previously served a 28-year sentence starting in 2018 for killing his mother and concealing her body in concrete. He was released in 2024 under a semi-open prison arrangement.
Chief investigator Mario Souza expressed optimism about finding the victim’s head, stating that despite the challenges, the search efforts would persist. Jardim will not be involved in the search due to providing misleading information that impeded the investigation.
Despite Jardim’s claims of disposing of the head in a specific area, searches yielded no results. The Public Defender’s Office representing Jardim declined to comment outside of court proceedings.
Even without locating the head promptly, authorities are prepared to close the investigation and officially charge Jardim with murder. Jardim allegedly disposed of parts of the victim’s body in an unmonitored area in Porto Alegre before leaving a suitcase at the bus station, where security cameras captured his actions.
The victim’s torso was found on September 1, with her legs discovered in different locations within the city several days later. Forensic reports are being compiled for submission to the Public Prosecutor’s Office.
