Mystery as bodies of mum and schoolboy son found stuffed in sofa a week after they vanished
Felix Allen
A MOTHER and her eight-year-old son have been found dead stuffed in a sofa a week after they were reported missing.
Joicimeire Conde Cardoso, 38, was hidden under the seat section and little João was inside the back of the abandoned couch on a rural highway in Brazil.
5Joicimeire and eight-year-old son João were found dead in the sofaCredit: Facebook5Their decomposing bodies were stuffed in a sofa beside this dual carriageway in BrazilCredit: Google
Authorities said the bodies were found in a state of decomposition and had been at the scene for at least five days.
A police forensics team was sent to recover Joicimeire's body on Saturday after she was found under the dumped sofa.
It was only then they found her son's body hidden in the upper backrest section, said Deputy Gustavo Barreto Cabral.
Officers reportedly believe they were killed at another location the previous Sunday, July 31.
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The next day, the killer and possible accomplices are then thought to have hidden the bodies by the side of the dual carriageway in Itapirapuã, Goiás state.
A local farm worker was arrested on suspicion of double murder.
Cops said there were "several indications" that the victims were violently attacked at the suspect's residence.
Last night, the suspect was named in local reports as Benjamim de Araújo, 55, who used to be in a relationship with Joicimeire.
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It emerged Araújo was already awaiting trial after she accused him of assault ten months ago, reports Metrópoles.
She told police he beat her and threw her against a wall after she criticised him for buying too much beer, court files reportedly say.
Araújo denied hurting her and and claimed her bruises seen by a police doctor were self-inflicted.
He was due in court over the alleged assault on August 19.
The couple appear to have reconciled, however, as Joicimeire and João were staying with him at the time they were last seen, reports Metrópoles.
Witnesses told police they heard noises of "aggression" from inside the suspect's house on the evening of July 31.
The victim and her son have not been seen since that date, family members say.
Araújo was taken into custody at the farm where he works.
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He denies murder. He told cops he fell asleep drunk and when he woke Joicimeire and João were gone from his house.
Authorities are also looking into whether others helped hide the bodies.
5Joicimeire Conde Cardoso, 38, was found dead a week after going missingCredit: Jam Press5Her son João Vitor Conde, eight, was also found deadCredit: Jam Press5Farm worker Benjamim de Araújo was arrested on suspicion of double murderCredit: Police Handout
HOW YOU CAN GET HELP:
Women's Aid has this advice for victims and their families:
Always keep your phone nearby.
Get in touch with charities for help, including the Women’s Aid live chat helpline and services such as SupportLine.
If you are in danger, call 999.
Familiarise yourself with the Silent Solution, reporting abuse without speaking down the phone, instead dialing “55”.
Always keep some money on you, including change for a pay phone or bus fare.
If you suspect your partner is about to attack you, try to go to a lower-risk area of the house – for example, where there is a way out and access to a telephone.
Avoid the kitchen and garage, where there are likely to be knives or other weapons. Avoid rooms where you might become trapped, such as the bathroom, or where you might be shut into a cupboard or other small space.
If you are a victim of domestic abuse, SupportLine is open Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 6pm to 8pm on 01708 765200. The charity’s email support service is open weekdays and weekends during the crisis – messageinfo@supportline.org.uk.
Women’s Aid provides a live chat service - available weekdays from 8am-6pm and weekends 10am-6pm.
You can also call the freephone 24-hour National Domestic Abuse Helpline on 0808 2000 247.
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