A 37-year-old woman has been arrested in Brazil after allegedly deceiving a family into adopting her by pretending to be a 12-year-old girl fleeing abusive parents. The case came to light when police apprehended the suspect at the family home in the Pirabeiraba district of Joinville, Brazil, on June 2.
According to police, the suspect, who had attempted similar scams previously, used the false name 'Gabriele' and convinced a local family to take her in by claiming she had escaped abuse in the northern state of Para. Investigators revealed that she first approached a church in Joinville and told a pastor she had suffered mistreatment. Members of the religious community began providing financial assistance and found her accommodation, eventually leading the family to welcome her into their home.
Police stated that the couple became emotionally attached to the suspect and treated her as their daughter for approximately 14 months. To explain her adult appearance, the 37-year-old claimed to suffer from autism and other medical conditions. She also alleged that she had been forced to take hormones as a child after experiencing abuse, which she said caused her older features.
The suspect adopted childish behaviour to maintain the deception, including using baby bottles, pacifiers, and a comfort cloth to sleep. Police reported that she faked panic attacks during the night, spoke in a higher-pitched voice, and acted emotionally dependent to gain attention and sympathy. The family reportedly organised a 12th birthday party for her and paid for obesity medication, while also considering formal adoption.
Investigators noted that the suspect repeatedly avoided conversations about official adoption procedures and never carried identification documents. Detective Rodrigo Bueno Gusso said she convinced the family not to send her to school by claiming her abusive father would discover her whereabouts. The fraud was only uncovered after a relative alerted police, leading to an investigation.
Authorities said the suspect confessed during questioning and was charged with fraud and false identity offences before being taken to Joinville Regional Prison. Police added that she had previous records for similar scams in the states of Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Minas Gerais, Rio Grande do Sul, and Goias. This included a 2023 case in Nova Iguacu where she posed as a 12-year-old girl called 'Maria Eduarda', with local media reporting her real name as Amanda Maria Sousa Oliveira.
In that case, she claimed to be autistic and alleged suffering from abuse and witchcraft rituals, convincing a former city councillor and the head of a social project for vulnerable children to support her, even renting and furnishing a home for her. Police said she inserted up to 100 needles into her own body to support the story of abuse and satanic rituals, with X-rays revealing more than 100 needles inside her body.
Although arrested in the 2023 case, she was released the following day after a court granted provisional freedom under precautionary measures. There are no records of a final sentence or trial verdict under the names mentioned. Because she frequently moved between states using different false identities, her past cases remained open or active at the time of her latest arrest. As of now, she remains in custody at Joinville Regional Prison facing current charges.
