A woman is accused of paying a known murderer £560 to end her father’s life by serving him a poisonous bean stew at his residence. Ana Paula Veloso is suspected of poisoning pensioner Neil Correa da Silva in Baixada Fluminense, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, with the help of her daughter, Michele Paiva da Silva. The police discovered incriminating text messages outlining their sinister plot.
Veloso, labeled a “psychopath” and a “serial killer,” allegedly received R$4,000 (£560) to execute the crime, as revealed by a joint investigation by the Rio and Sao Paulo police. Paiva da Silva, a 43-year-old law student and bus driver, was apprehended at a university in Rio on Tuesday.
Authorities claim that the father and daughter had a strained relationship. When the victim fell ill at Veloso’s house and was hospitalized, detectives found terbufos, a pesticide slightly less toxic than lead, at the scene.
Both Veloso and Paiva da Silva are currently in police custody. Chief Inspector Halisson Ideiao Leite disclosed that Veloso has confessed to poisoning 10 dogs as part of her testing of the toxic bean stew method before the fatal incident. The investigation has expanded to include Veloso’s twin sister, Roberta, who allegedly played a role in Neil’s demise by providing support both morally and materially.
Police are also connecting Neil’s death to three other poisonings in Guarulhos, attributing them to Veloso and Paiva da Silva. The crimes, occurring between January and April of this year, share a pattern of closeness, manipulation, and the use of poison as a surreptitious weapon.
Veloso initially drew police attention when she claimed to be a victim of an attempted cake poisoning, which investigators now believe was an attempt to divert suspicion. Mr. Leite emphasized that Veloso’s actions indicate a calculated killer rather than an impulsive one.
Detectives are now investigating whether the pair had planned additional murders, as they suspect Veloso of systematic and methodical killings, rather than impulsive acts.
