A former Brazilian soccer star is at the center of a mystery in Rio de Janeiro, and police are looking at surveillance video to see if it can provide clues as to how he met a grisly end.
35-year old João Rodrigo Silva Santos played soccer for Rio de Janeiro soccer teams before retiring from the sport and opening up his own health food store, and his wife says she isn’t aware of any threats made against him or anyone who might want to hurt him. However, when she opened her door to leave for work on Tuesday morning, she found her husband’s severed head in a backpack on the stoop, and his eyes and tongue had been cut out.
A torso, legs, and an arm were found in the Guandu River, and police have reason to believe they belong to Santos; it has been reported that family members recognized a tattoo on the remains, but DNA testing will have to be done before it can be confirmed that the body belongs to Santos.
Police haven’t released the names of any suspects, but there is speculation that the murder may have been an act of retaliation after Santos posted photos of the thieves who robbed his store on his Facebook page. Surveillance footage from the store may yield clues, however, and authorities are poring over the videos. At least ten people have been interviewed as witnesses.
Image: CNN screenshot