Investigators in Brazil’s Rio Grande do Sul state say 23-year-old Gabriela Evaldt Cardoso, who disappeared on Sept. 6, was likely shot on the day she went missing. Her body has not been found, and police are continuing forensic tests and searches for evidence.
Cardoso last told her family at about 10 p.m. that she was heading to her mother’s home in the municipality of Torres to return a car, Brazilian outlet G1 reported. At 11 p.m. she sent a similar message to a friend. There has been no confirmed information about her whereabouts since.
The car was found 10 days later in an unoccupied house in Tramandaí, north of Torres and near Porto Alegre. Its license plate and one wheel cover were missing. Investigators found a fingernail inside and sent it for DNA testing. They are also collecting fingerprints and other trace evidence.
Police said ammunition was found in an area searched for Cardoso. Investigators have not determined whether it was used in the suspected crime. Case chief Alexandre Souza said officers were using a metal detector to look for more bullets before excavating nearby. Police also located Cardoso’s phone and requested access to its data and social-media accounts.
Police say they know the suspected motive but are withholding it to protect the investigation. They have ruled out femicide and robbery, according to La Nación. Cardoso’s mother, Rosane Evaldt, described the uncertainty as an inexplicable pain.