A pregnant teenager was killed after a woman allegedly cut her unborn child out of her womb, according to local authorities.
In a press conference held in Brazil on Friday, March 14, Civil Police Chief Caio Albuquerque of the city of Cuiabá said that 16-year-old Emilly Azevedo Sena, who was nine months pregnant, had been missing since Wednesday, March 12. Her body was found buried in the backyard of a home in the Jardim Florianópolis neighborhood the following day, per Albuquerque. He stated that a woman has since been arrested for the crime.
Albuquerque said the woman admitted to having experienced a miscarriage six months prior, but claims she did not tell her husband or family about the miscarriage and continued to act as though she was pregnant, per local news outlet g1.
In an official statement released on March 14, the Civil Judicial Police of Mato Grosso said police received a call from a local hospital on March 13, after a woman and her husband arrived with a newborn baby that the woman claimed was her own. However, hospital staff soon grew suspicious when they observed that the woman showed no signs of a recent birth or pregnancy.
Police arrived at the hospital to investigate, which ultimately led them to the couple’s home and the discovery of Emilly’s body.
The suspect confessed to Emilly’s murder and will be held responsible for three crimes: homicide, concealment of a corpse and registering someone else’s baby as her own, per the March 14 police statement.
Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for PEOPLE’s free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases.
Authorities also said that Emilly — whose body was found in a shallow grave with her abdomen cut open — had met the suspect on social media and was lured to the home after the woman told her she had spare baby clothes available for donation.
The Civil Judicial Police of Mato Grosso confirmed to PEOPLE on Saturday, March 15, that the investigation is ongoing and that they are currently attempting to determine whether other suspects were involved in the crime.
While speaking to g1 during a memorial for her daughter, Emilly’s mother, Ana Paula Meridiane, said, “I didn’t just lose a daughter, I lost a friend, partner and companion. Only those who lived with her know how wonderful her heart was.”
Read the full article here