Gisele Oliveira arrived in Portugal in April this year, where she reunited with her partner who had been living there for three years. In Pombal, within the district of Leiria, her husband was with their 12-year-old son. However, this child is not the only child of the couple; they had three more children, all of whom died. These deaths are not the only ones under investigation involving Gisele Oliveira.
The story was initially reported by Correio da Manhã and later confirmed by the Polícia Judiciária (PJ), which made the arrest on Tuesday. The PJ explained that the suspect, involved in the death of five of her children, was currently “overstaying in national territory.”
The Deaths: How Many? When? How?
The PJ stated the woman is suspected of killing five children, three fathered by her current partner. The ‘modus operandi’ involved “intentional and repeated administration of sedative substances, allegedly causing the death of five of her minor children.”
The Interpol and Portuguese authorities confirm “all incidents took place in the woman’s residence, mostly at night.” During these times, “without witnesses present,” she administered large doses of sedatives to the five children, causing health issues over the years.
Two children died in 2010, another two in 2019, and one in 2023.
It was the suspect’s mother who reported her daughter, prompting an investigation in the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais. Upon learning about the criminal report, and before being considered a suspect, the woman left Brazil in early 2024. Subsequently, an international arrest warrant was issued.
The partner and father of three of the victims is not a defendant in the case. According to Correio da Manhã on Thursday, he told the PJ that the woman was innocent.
Gisele Oliveira appeared on Wednesday before the Coimbra Court of Appeal. The court ordered her to be held in pre-trial detention and sent her to the Tires Prison in Cascais. She awaits extradition to Brazil.
