Woman, 37, who drank from bottle adopted by couple thinking she was 12-year-old child

A 37-year-old woman allegedly drank from baby bottles and pierced her body with 100 needles as part of an elaborate scheme to trick people into thinking she was a child.

The unnamed woman was arrested in Joinville, Santa Catarina, Brazil, on 2 June, after a relative alerted local police.

According to local investigators, the woman, who used the alias 'Gabriele' and approached a local church in the city, claiming to have fled from abuse in the northern state of Para.

She was given support and accommodation before a family, who believed she was 12 years old, agreed to look after her.

The woman stayed with the family for over a year, claiming to suffer from autism and various other health conditions in order to explain her older-looking appearance.

The 37-year-old woman is accused of posing as a child (Newsflash)

She allegedly told the family she had been forced to take hormones as a child after suffering abuse, which she claimed caused her older features.

It's also claimed that the woman had used childlike behaviours to maintain her lies, speaking in a higher voice, feigning panic attacks and acting emotionally dependent to elicit sympathy from people.

She is also said to have used baby bottles, dummies and a comfort cloth to sleep.

Meanwhile, the family grew increasingly close to 'Gabriele' during the 14 months she lived with them, throwing her a 12th birthday party and even broaching the topic of a formal adoption – a topic which she is said to have been evasive over.

She also refused to be enrolled in a local school, claiming that she was scared that her abusive father would locate her.

She allegedly used baby bottles, dummies and a comfort cloth to sleep (Newsflash)

She also claimed that she'd been forced to take hormone medication, accounting for her older age (Newsflash)

After being arrested, the woman confessed and was charged with fraud and false identity offences. She remains in custody at the Joinville Regional Prison.

It was here that officers were able to uncover that the woman had a history of alleged offences, spanning across various states in Brazil.

She was linked to a 2023 case in Nova Iguacu, Rio de Janeiro, where she claimed to be a 12-year-old girl called 'Maria Eduarda' who'd been repeatedly abused and subjected to witchcraft rituals.

Her allegations included being abused and a victim of satanic rituals, with police claiming that she'd inserted up to 100 needles into her body, which X-rays are said to have confirmed.

Following her arrest, authorities have linked the woman to other similar cases of fraud (Newsflash)

She is said to have also convinced a former city councillor and the head of a social project for vulnerable children to support her and even rent and furnish a home for her.

Despite being arrested, she was released the following day.

There are also no records of a final sentence or trial verdict for her under the names mentioned. However, this may be because she often moved between multiple states using different false identities, meaning the cases remained open or active at the time of her latest arrest, rather than having reached a final conviction.