‘The body is unrecognizable’, says little Gustavo’s aunt

The body of the boy Gustavo Henrique Cardoso, aged 7, was buried this Tuesday morning, the 7th, at the Vinhedo Municipal Cemetery. According to police, the reason for death was beating. Pedro Vitor Joseph do Prado, the victim’s father, and Camila Luiz Gomes da Silva, the stepmother, were arrested and are the main suspects in the crime.

Friends and family paid their last respects to the boy. The victim’s aunt, on her mother’s side, Giovanna Batista Cardoso, is quite shaken and stated that the family had already tried to remove Gustavo from the couple’s care.

“We tried to catch him. Me and my mother. She (stepmother) came after my mother and I came in to defend her. The police arrived and one of them told me that we had no right to take the boy and we had to leave him there. I want justice, because the Child Protection Council was aware.”

According to the victim’s aunt, Camila had gotten in touch to inform her that they did not want the child. However, on site, everything changed.

“She sent me an audio. She said they didn’t want to be with him anymore. But I don’t know why they didn’t give me the child. I asked her and she said it was a fight, a disagreement between them and they had changed their minds. But we fought for him, but we couldn’t.”

Giovanna states that the whole family is very shaken and also details that she went to recognize her nephew’s body, alongside his mother and sister, and couldn’t believe what she saw.

“I went to the IML (Legal Medical Institute) to recognize the body and it is unrecognizable. It’s not Gustavo there. He was stabbed, his face is completely deformed. They knocked his eye out so much. They banged his head against the wall many times. He was all bitten, pieces were ripped out of him. What does a child do to deserve this?”

In a note, the Vinhedo Guardianship Council states:

“We received anonymous complaints about the child Gustavo Henrique Cardoso where the content of the complaint was that Gustavo suffered mistreatment. The family began to be monitored by this Body where the appropriate referrals were made.

Unfortunately, today, we were surprised by this fatality that occurred against Gustavo and we clarify that, for measures such as the loss of custody to be carried out, it would be necessary to exhaust all possibilities with the family, so in the face of such negligence, We would continue communicating the fact to the Public Prosecutor’s Office.

The board regrets what happened with deep regret. We are also outraged, with an immeasurable feeling of deep regret.”

Father and stepmother tried to escape and took hostage

According to the investigation, after the crime, the father and stepmother fled on a red CG 160 motorcycle. A security camera recorded the suspects’ passage through Valinhos. Hours later, the couple was arrested by the Civil Police and taken to the Vinhedo police station.

According to a witness, who lives in the same yard, during the early hours of the morning she was called by the child’s father asking for help. The witness found the injured child and tried to revive him, but without success. After that, the father locked the witness in the house so that the Civil Police would not be called. At dawn, the witness realized that the couple had left, and at that moment she broke down the front door and managed to look for the police.

At the police station, the population, who were waiting at the scene, tried to lynch the couple. The case continues to be investigated and the suspects will undergo a custody hearing.