Man who killed teachers and young woman in Bahia was arrested for another crime

The man suspected of killing two teachers and a young woman in Ilheus, in southern Bahia, was arrested last Sunday (24) for a different crime: drug trafficking. After being detained, he confessed to the Civil Police that he was the author of the triple homicide and also of a fourth murder. The arrest took place during investigations into the death of Maria Helena do Nascimento Bastos, 41, her daughter Mariana Bastos da Silva, 20, and their friend Alexsandra Oliveira Suzart, 45. The suspect was caught with crack rocks and, when taken to the police station, confessed to killing the three women with a knife in a bushy area in the Jardim Atlântico neighborhood. He claimed that the crime occurred during a robbery attempt, but the police point out contradictions in his statement. Besides the triple homicide, the man also admitted to being responsible for the death of his partner, Lucas dos Santos Nascimento. The victim died on August 21 after being hospitalized with multiple injuries (polytraumatism) resulting from a domestic fight, as confessed by the suspect. Profile and progress of the investigation The individual was already a suspect according to investigators and is described as a ‘vagabond, drug addict, and with a history of robberies, thefts, and involvement with trafficking.’ After the confession, the Judiciary decreed his pretrial detention. The Bahia Civil Police continues the investigations to confirm all information. The next steps include the analysis of expert reports, fingerprint matching, DNA tests, and the inspection of images from 15 security cameras in the area where the teachers and the young woman were murdered.