On March 3, the Polícia Judiciária (PJ) made a grim discovery in a forested area of Covilhã..
At the time, few details were provided to the media. It was only known that there were “clear signs of a crime.”
However, more mysterious details began to emerge across different media outlets.
Alexandre and Pedro Marques, aged 55 and 61, were reportedly victims of “extreme violence” at the home they shared with their mother, according to reports.
A cousin of the brothers revealed that “what was done to them is something you wouldn’t do to an animal,” insisting that both brothers were “well-liked by everyone.”
Beaten to Death in Mother’s Home. Two Suspects Identified
According to reports from the program ‘Linha Aberta,’ broadcast by SIC, the victims were “beaten to death and subsequently buried in an open field.”
A source close to the investigation disclosed to the same program that two suspects have been “identified,” one of whom is a relative of the victims.
The 85-year-old mother, with whom Pedro and Alexandre lived and who allegedly supported their drug habit, is not among the suspects due to her Alzheimer’s condition.
There is, however, a significant detail reported by SIC in a news segment aired over the weekend. The same day Pedro and Alexandre went missing, their nephew took their grandmother to France, where the family has been residing for several years.
Alongside him came a friend to Portugal, someone with a criminal record for drug trafficking, theft, and extortion.
Did Family Members Kill the Brothers?
This case remains a baffling puzzle, unsettling the population of Unhais da Serra, accustomed to the tranquility of a town with just over a thousand inhabitants. Many are calling for “justice” and express frustration that “nothing is known” so far.
The PJ has been exchanging information with French authorities, but it is up to the Public Prosecutor’s Office (MP) to assess whether there is enough evidence to initiate a European investigation order, which could lead to the arrest of the suspects. Indications suggest these may be the victims’ nephew and his friend.
On the ‘Casos de Polícia’ program by SIC, the Portuguese emigrant confirmed he was in Unhais da Serra on the day his uncles disappeared. However, he said that “the house was empty” when he went to pick up his grandmother, whom he claimed “no one cared for,” despite her condition being “very poor.”
Through Instagram, the man stated that he is unfazed by what others think and whether they suspect him of his uncles’ deaths. “I’ve already spoken to investigators about this,” he emphasized.
The suspects in the Unhais da Serra double homicide remain at large, whoever they may be.
The Notícias ao Minuto has reached out to the PJ and the MP about the case but has yet to receive any responses.
