A suspected serial killer who allegedly tried to evade capture by disguising himself as a woman has been arrested in northeastern Brazil after reportedly claiming he had killed around 80 people during his lifetime.
Jorlan Alves da Silva, 33, was arrested in the municipality of Mulungu, Paraiba, on Sunday following a 48-hour police operation.
At the time of his arrest, he was reportedly wearing a striped dress, a long black wig, sunglasses and women’s sandals, with his fingernails painted.
Police were also reportedly surprised to find him carrying a two-year-old child. Authorities are still investigating how the child came to be with him.
Before his arrest, security teams tracked down a vehicle allegedly used by Jorlan and several people believed to be his accomplices.
One person was arrested in the vehicle, but Jorlan managed to escape before authorities tracked him down again.
Police suspect Jorlan was involved in at least 15 killings on behalf of an organised crime group over the past three months.
During questioning, he reportedly claimed to have killed around 80 people throughout his life, saying his first killing took place when he was 13.
Civil Police detective Douglas Garcia said Jorlan had previously served between five and six years in prison for various offences before being released at the end of May.
Among the cases currently under investigation is the killing of two businessmen in Rio Tinto on Aug 1.
Douglas said Jorlan also provided authorities with information on the location where one of the victims was allegedly buried.
However, police are still working to verify his claim that he was responsible for around 80 killings.
If proven, the figure would place him among Brazil’s most prolific serial killers.
