Thais Rocha Secundino: Model and businesswoman, 28, found dead in her vehicle with 11 stab wounds
SAO PAULO, BRAZIL: Authorities are treating the case of a Brazilian model and nightclub owner, who was found dead with 11 stab wounds, as a homicide. The gruesome crime was made public on February 3 when Thais Rocha Secundino, 28, was discovered dead in her jeep in São Paulo, Brazil. She had stab wounds on her neck, abdomen and back, per authorities, but the murder weapon has not yet been found.
According to police spokeswoman Ivalda Aleixo, Secundino, who ran a number of nightclubs, was murdered "over issues involving alleged embezzlement" of her companies. The victim's chauffeur, Leandro Aparecido Dos Santos, 45, and one of her closest friends, Cintia Maria Feliciano Peixe, 31, who worked at one of Secundino's wine cellars, have both been detained as suspects.
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'Took part in the murder'
“The victim’s boyfriend said Thaís had gone to meet her friend to get an explanation from her, but then she didn’t return home,” Aleixo reportedly said, adding, “They deny the crime, but there are strong indications that they took part in the businesswoman’s murder.”
According to UOL, authorities maintained throughout the inquiry that the victim might have been a money lender, claiming that Peixe was among those in charge of debt collection. Peixe and Secundino reportedly got into an argument just before her death when the model started to think that her best friend had been stealing money from her company with Santos' assistance.
As per the New York Post, officials told Jam Press that the two suspects would be held in a temporary facility for 30 days due to the "heinous" nature of the crime. Police have taken the victim's car as well as the suspects' phones, which they want to examine. The area's CCTV footage from the time of Secundino's death is also being examined by authorities. To avoid obstructing the ongoing homicide investigation, investigators chose not to disclose any additional information.
A well-known Instagram figure
Secundino was a well-known figure on Instagram, where she routinely shared risque photos for her fans, in addition to running a number of businesses. In the pictures, she flaunted her luxurious lifestyle that included high end cars and exotic holidays. The businesswoman said in her last post, which was published two weeks ago, "The light that guides me is much stronger than the eyes that surround me."
