A pregnant teen was killed after a woman allegedly cut her unborn child out of her womb, according to local police.
In a press conference held in Brazil on Friday, March 14, Civil Police Chief Caio Albuquerque of the city of Cuiabá stated that 16-year-old Emilly Azevedo Sena, who was nine months pregnant, had gone missing since Wednesday, March 12.
Her body was discovered buried in the backyard of a home in the Jardim Florianópolis neighborhood the next day, according to Albuquerque. He stated that a woman had been arrested for the crime.
According to Albuquerque, the woman admitted to having a miscarriage six months ago, but claims she did not tell her husband or family about it and continued to act as if she was pregnant, according to local news outlet g1.
According to an official statement released on March 14, Mato Grosso’s Civil Judicial 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 became suspicious when they noticed that the woman had no signs of recent birth or pregnancy.
Police arrived at the hospital to investigate, eventually leading them to the couple’s home and the discovery of Emilly’s body.
According to a police statement released on March 14, the suspect confessed to Emilly’s murder and will face charges of homicide, concealment of a corpse, and registering someone else’s baby as her own.
Authorities also stated that Emilly, whose body was discovered in a shallow grave with her abdomen cut open, 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 determining whether other suspects were involved in the crime.
During a memorial for her daughter, Emilly’s mother, Ana Paula Meridiane, told g1, “I lost a friend, partner, and companion, not just a daughter. Only those who lived with her understood how wonderful her heart was.”
