The body of Brazilian actor, Jefferson Machado, who went missing in January of this year, was found dead and buried in a wooden trunk.
Jefferson was a soap actor who had starred in Brazilian show Reis, as well as working a slew of other jobs including production, set design and as a press officer.
The 44-year-old was last seen on 27 January, while Machado's mother, Maria das Dores, told Brazilian press she'd last spoken to her son on 29 January as he told her he was interviewing for a job and staying at a friend's home.
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Machado was officially declared missing on 9 February, with his family only finding out when his eight pet dogs were reported abandoned at his home in the West Zone of Rio de Janeiro.
His mother became more worried about her son after she received text messages with spelling mistakes and no longer had phone calls from him.
She told Notícias do Dia she'd received messages that he'd dropped his phone down a toilet and was thus unable to video call his mum.
Further fears were stoked after his video cloud password was changed and his location was deactivated in February.
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On Monday (22 May), police searched an outhouse at a property in Rio de Janeiro and discovered Jefferson's body tied up and buried inside a wooden trunk that had been sealed under the floor of the structure.
The property belongs to a woman who said she rented the outhouse out to an unnamed person police are treating as a suspect.
The trunk had been buried six feet beneath the floor of the outhouse and it took nine people to remove it from the ground.
Police were able to identify Machado by his fingerprints and confirm that the body inside the wooded trunk was his.
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The trunk he was found inside actually belonged to the actor and had been taken from his home.
News of Jefferson's death was announced by a friend of his on Instagram, with Cintia Hilsendeger writing: "It is with great sadness we report that Jeff was found on 05/22/2023 lifeless.
"Jefferson was brutally murdered by jealous, evil and of course, unscrupulous people. More info coming soon RJ Township Police did an excellent job!"
"Thank you so much to everyone who helped with every little detail. Prayers, good thoughts is what Jeff needs right now."
Topics: Crime, News, World News, TV and Film
Joe Harker