An actor from Brazil who had been missing since January was discovered dead inside a wooden chest that had been sealed two metres below, his hands and neck tied with metal wire. On May 22, the body of missing actor Jefferson “Jeff” Machado da Costa was discovered buried at a dilapidated house in Rio de Janeiro’s Campo Grande neighbourhood. The 44-year-old was located after fingerprints were analysed at the Institute of Forensic Medicine. He went missing on January 27. The owner of the property is a woman with whom the Missing Persons Unit has already spoken.
The actor’s body was found at a residence in the Campo Grande neighbourhood of western Rio de Janeiro
She claimed that while renting the space to a man that the authorities have already identified, she did not know Jeff. According to Jairo Magalhaes, the actor’s family’s attorney, the body was discovered inside the chest with its hands tied and its neck wrapped in a metal wire that looked like a steel cable. Malgahes claimed that Machado’s body was in the process of decomposing and that there were remnants of a liquid that had been spilt over it to mask the obnoxious smell. Because of the advanced composition of Machado’s body, an autopsy was unable to determine the cause of his death.
Due to airline security precautions and the medical examiner’s inability to determine a cause of death, his remains will not be able to be flown to his native state of Santa Catarina and will instead be transported there by road. The actor’s body was found at a residence in the Campo Grande neighbourhood of western Rio de Janeiro. Police were informed by the home’s owner that she had rented out the outhouse to a person who had been identified as a subject of interest but was still at large as of Thursday. Rio de Janeiro police have not yet reported any arrests.