In a sorrowful conclusion to a five-month-long disappearance, the body of Brazilian soap opera star, Jefferson Machado, has been discovered in a trunk in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The tragic news was confirmed on Machado’s Instagram account by family friend Cintia Hilsendeger.
On the 22nd of May, 2023, the body of the 44-year-old actor was found encased in concrete, hidden in a wooden chest and buried six feet under the backyard of a home in the Campo Grande neighborhood, according to the local media outlet, G1.
Describing the gruesome scene, the family’s lawyer Jairo Magalhães revealed that Machado’s arms were tied behind his head, and his body was concealed in a trunk identical to ones found at his residence. Subsequent identification of the body was based on fingerprints. The lawyer also indicated that Machado might have been strangled, as revealed by a noticeable mark on his neck.
The recovery of the trunk, captured on police footage, was a challenging endeavor requiring nine people to accomplish. An ongoing investigation has put a spotlight on a man who had been renting the property, someone who had known Machado and was seen entering the house approximately a month ago.
Machado’s disappearance dates back to January, with the last confirmed sighting of him in Campo Grande. His absence was brought to his family’s attention when a non-governmental agency informed them that his eight dogs were left unattended at his home.
In the months following Machado’s disappearance, his family received a series of peculiar text messages, supposedly from Machado but filled with spelling mistakes and uncharacteristic language. His mother grew increasingly suspicious after she stopped receiving calls from her son, an anomaly the sender attributed to a phone-dropping accident.
Further arousing the family’s suspicions were changes to Machado’s cloud password and the deactivation of his location-tracking function.