A pregnant woman and her passenger were tied up and burned alive in a car during a "very cruel" murder, detectives have said.
The remains of 24-year-old Ellen Priscila Ferreira da Silva and her passenger Ely Carlos dos Santos, 39, were found after the car was doused in petrol and set alight on October 17 near Sao Paulo, Brazil.
Their bodies were identified after family members recognized the car that had belonged to da Silva's mother, local media reported.
Da Silva's married lover, 38, who is understood to be the father of her unborn baby, is among several people to have been arrested in connection with the deaths.
Police eventually arrested the boyfriend and his wife, along with two other men. Officials haven’t released their names yet.
The child’s father initially told authorities that he was also attacked, but pretended to faint to avoid being burned in the car. He later confessed that he invented the story and gave himself the wounds, allegedly while under the influence of drugs.
Drugs and revenge may have been part of the motive, according to authorities
“Ellen and Ely Carlos were possibly indebted to a drug dealer who was also arrested. Another point is that Ellen refused to abort the child conceived in the extramarital relationship,” de Tarso said.
Two of the suspects eventually confessed to the crime. One of the suspects reportedly admitted to
pouring gasoline on the victim’s car, 7News reports.
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