The Capital Homicide Division (DHC) is leading an investigation that has shaken the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Marcelle Julia Araújo da Silva, 18, was brutally murdered, and her body was allegedly dismembered and offered to pit bulls by the main suspect in the crime, identified as Zhaohu Qiu, a 35-year-old food merchant of Chinese descent.
The crime occurred last Saturday, February 14, in the Jardim América neighborhood, located in the northern part of Rio de Janeiro. The victim’s dismembered body was found in a residence in the Beira Rio community, in the Pavuna neighborhood, also in the northern part.
Marcelle was just 18 years old. According to her family, she was well-known in the community and had a friendly relationship with the alleged perpetrator.
The last time she was seen alive was through surveillance camera footage, where she was seen arriving by bicycle at Zhaohu Qiu’s home.
The man named by the DHC is Zhaohu Qiu, a yakisoba vendor, who allegedly had an obsession with the victim. According to statements from those close to him, the man allegedly stockpiled photographs of Marcelle.
Family testimony indicates that he acted with premeditation, transporting the young woman’s body in a wheelbarrow to another house he owned in the Beira Rio community, where abandoned dogs allegedly devoured her remains.
An employee of the accused was the one who found the human remains, already mutilated by the dogs. The victim’s identification was only possible through fingerprint analysis, as his face was completely disfigured.
Her body was taken to the Forensic Medical Institute (IML) for the necessary forensic examination. Deeply distressed family members reported that the condition of her body was such that it was impossible to identify her physically.
The accused is a fugitive, and authorities have intensified their search. During a search of one of his properties, his passport was confiscated, indicating a possible escape attempt.
Investigators are collecting statements from the victim’s friends and relatives to determine the exact motive and locate Qiu.
The case has sparked a profound social uproar. Neighbors and family members are demanding immediate justice, describing what happened as an act of extreme cruelty.
Marcelle’s aunt, Cláudia Luciana, expressed the family’s grief and asserted that the crime was meticulously planned to prevent its investigation.
