The brother of Francisca Maria Souza dos Santos, 44, who disappeared a month ago from her home in Tabuaço, Viseu district, suspects that her boyfriend may be involved in her disappearance and urges the Polícia Judiciária (PJ) to investigate him thoroughly.
In an interview on the SIC program Linha Aberta, Antônio Santos said, “Mr. Luís [Jesus] has been lying since the beginning. He has been lying since the start of the relationship”. “He is a liar; how can the Polícia Judiciária trust him?”, he questioned, asking investigators to “search his messages, his calls”.
Regarding the audio messages sent to Francisca’s mother, Antônio claimed that “he never called to explain himself; he only sought information”.
Antônio, who traveled to Portugal searching for his sister, insists that the PJ must “investigate his [Luís Jesus’] car, check if he passed the tolls on that day [June 20], if there are records” because “there are several signs” that he might be involved in Francisca’s disappearance.
Did Luís previously keep his sister in “false imprisonment”?
“There are reports from neighbors and people who had past relationships with him, who were deceived. They should search his property. There’s a cellar in that house [Francisca’s boyfriend’s]”, he asserted.
Antônio reportedly received information that Luís Jesus had previously kept his sister “in false imprisonment, within this cellar”.
Francisca’s brother is also critical of the actions of the Portuguese authorities, including the PJ. “No one called me for questioning, I don’t even know if this investigation is truly ongoing, we have no evidence that the disappearance is even being investigated”, he exclaimed.
Regarding the missing bank card, from which Francisca would receive her salary, Antônio confirmed this happened and only discovered his sister had this card through “her employer”.
However, he stated this is of least concern to him. “I’m not after the card, money, or Francisca’s belongings. I’m here for my sister. The rest doesn’t matter to me,” he emphasized.
Francisca’s family experienced a similar situation 20 years ago
Francisca’s disappearance has left her family desperate, having faced a similar situation 20 years ago when they lived in Maranhão, where they are originally from.
Two decades ago, one of the cook’s brothers decided to work in another Brazilian state. He worked and contacted the family for a while, but eventually vanished without a trace.
On Linha Aberta, Antônio recounted how the family fell apart since then. “We didn’t have mobile phones at the time. We posted ads on the radio and TV, my father went there, but we never managed to contact him again. Since then, my mother and the entire family have suffered,” he lamented, emotional over the current ordeal with Francisca.
On social media, Antônio is not alone in urging anyone with information to contact the family or authorities. Many friends and relatives have shared Francisca’s story, hoping someone has seen her or has information that could help locate her.
It’s noteworthy that Francisca disappeared on the night of June 20 while taking out the trash from her home in Tabuaço, wearing pajamas.
She left her lights on and the TV running, along with documents on a table, suggesting she did not intend to be long.
Francisca took only her mobile phone, whose last location was recorded near the trash bin. No further information is available on her whereabouts.
The Polícia Judiciária (PJ) is investigating the case.
