Jorlan Lopes da Silva, a 33-year-old man suspected in a string of killings in northeastern Brazil, was arrested Sunday in Mulungu, in the Agreste region of Paraíba state, after a roughly 48-hour manhunt led by the Civil and Military Police, according to G1 Paraíba’s September 17 wire.
Officers found him attempting to flee while dressed as a woman and carrying a 2-year-old child who was not related to him. According to the G1 reporting, Lopes da Silva wore a dress, a wig, women’s sandals, sunglasses and painted nails. The toddler, who was unharmed and received medical attention after being located, remains under investigation as authorities work to determine how she came to be with the suspect.
He was recognized when his dress shifted and exposed a tattoo. Investigators said Lopes da Silva had returned to the residence where he had been hiding to retrieve a revolver and leave the child before the final confrontation. Two other men linked to the same criminal group were detained in a separate stop during the same operation in Mulungu.
Lopes da Silva is under investigation for at least 16 homicides committed over approximately three months in the Vale do Mamanguape region after his release from prison in May 2026, per G1’s September 15 follow-up. Five preventive arrest warrants, all tied to homicide investigations, were already outstanding when he was captured. He had spent about five years in prison before his most recent release.
One of the cases involves the double homicide of two shopkeepers on August 1 in Rio Tinto, in the Litoral Norte of Paraíba, according to G1’s September 16 report on the case. Police say Lopes da Silva participated with four other men and later indicated the precise location where one of the bodies was buried. He is also linked to other killings in the area, some carried out in daylight.
During interrogation, Lopes da Silva told investigators he had killed about 80 people over two decades, beginning at age 13. Police have not confirmed the lifetime total and are reviewing unsolved homicide files across the state for possible connections. Lead delegado Douglas Garcia of the Civil Police of Paraíba called the number “very significant,” saying police “believe if it is not that number, it is something very close to it.” Authorities describe Lopes da Silva as tied to a criminal organization with roots in Rio de Janeiro that operates in Paraíba. The police are evaluating whether he should undergo a mental-health evaluation.
After escaping an earlier police confrontation in Rio Tinto in early August, Lopes da Silva hid in a Cabedelo community associated with the same criminal group before moving into wooded areas near Mulungu. Civil and Military Police, supported by intelligence units, conducted the continuous search that ended with his arrest on September 13. After a custody hearing, a judge converted the detention into preventive imprisonment, and he was transferred to the Presídio Desembargador Sílvio Porto in João Pessoa. Brazilian federal police separately thwarted a bomb attack on Lady Gaga’s Copacabana concert earlier this year, in another high-profile case from the country.
The investigation continues. Officers are still determining the full scope of the killings attributed to him, the circumstances surrounding the toddler, and the precise nature of any faction ties. Brazilian outlets including G1 Paraíba, O Globo and CNN Brasil, along with international coverage, have reported the case based on official statements from the Civil Police of Paraíba.
