A man who Brazilian authorities say killed 16 people lived in the woods to avoid capture and was nicknamed “mosquito” by locals because of his frail build, the Brazilian police investigator responsible for his arrest said.
Garcia said police finally saw the link between da Silva and other crimes after he shot an 18-year-old dead in a public square.
The investigator said the serial killer claims he has only attacked criminals, but evidence collected thus far shows that was not the case. “This is a very different person, he said he killed for the first time at age 13,” Garcia said. “We caught him because he wasn’t able to reach his tent in the woods, so he, out of desperation, got that disguise, took that baby that is not his and was ultimately arrested,” Garcia said. Police said at the time that da Silva was a member of a criminal gang that has killed dozens of people in the region. He denies any affiliation with local gangs and told investigators upon his arrest that he was “in a personal war”.
