A man had only been in the country a matter of weeks when he walked in front of a train. An inquest in heard continued references to both human trafficking and organ harvesting, with his family believing there was foul play in the suicide.
Samuel De Souza Frota, a Brazilian national who had spent time in Europe, was found dead on tracks near Newton-le-Willows having been hit by a train travelling from Preston in April this year, report the Liverpool Echo.
The inquest was held at Bootle Town Hall on Tuesday, July 7, held by assistant coroner Elizabeth Wheeler, posed more questions than answers. His family maintain there is more to Samuel’s death than meets the eye.
The inquest was shown several captures from CCTV of Samuel at the side of the railway lines in the 15 to 20 minutes leading up to his death on the evening of April 12.
The photos showed Samuel, dressed in an aviator jacket, jeans and Chelsea boots, move steadily closer to the track, with Ms Wheeler noting the area was rural and she had the ability to see for several hundred metres.
Fatality investigator for British Transport Police, Leanne Callan, reinforced this. Asked about whether there was a third party present at the time of Mr De Souza Frota’s death, she said: “Officers attended the scene who conducted a forensic search walking down the track looking for anything suspicious that shouldn’t be on the railway, looking for what would be the impact point, where the person has been found.
“They will also be looking at the surrounding area if, if there are any drag marks or evidence of other people in the area. There was no evidence there was third party involvement.”
But the inquest was not as cut and dry as it may have seemed.
Ms Wheeler acknowledged from the outset how Samuel’s family, who were not present at the inquest and remained in Brazil, had raised numerous concerns over possible organ harvesting or that the 23-year-old was involved in human trafficking.
As the questioning continued, Ms Callan was asked whether there was any evidence of Samuel being pushed. She said: “No, the evidence does not support that. If there had been anyone in the area or any conflict we would have picked up on that.”
Ms Callan added: “The most likely scenario is that he placed himself in front of that train. There is no evidence that he has fallen.”
Ms Wheeler asked: “Have you found any evidence that he was placed in front of that train in order to harvest his organs and cover it up?”
Ms Callan replied: “No.”
In an unusually detailed breakdown of Samuel’s post mortem, done to address his family’s organ harvesting concerns, Ms Wheeler read out the injuries the young man suffered. In social media posts, one family member of Mr De Souza Frota claimed his body was stripped of its organs before being thrown in front of the train.
She also read a checklist of the organs accounted for following the death. Samuel was pronounced dead at 7.14pm, although Ms Wheeler stated he would have died instantly. A suicide note rejected by the family
During the inquest, which lasted around an hour and a half, it was also briefly mentioned how his family had received a note sent digitally by Samuel, although they dispute its origin.
The ECHO understands the family believe the note was not written by Samuel. The note was not considered as part of the inquest, although Ms Wheeler did reference the contents.
She said: “In this instance I have the mechanisms of death and potentially a note. I have considered the note very carefully.
“The contents of the note are consistent with an attempt to take his own life. The contents of the note also contains information that would not be widely known that Samuel knows about himself.”
She continued: “It was understood that that note was sent to the family by a third party. The note has not been dated, it is typed and the family have raised concerns about it.
“It seems to me that actually in this inquest I can disregard the note for the purpose of considering that Samuel’s actions were with the intent of taking his own life.”
A missing phone, empty whisky bottles and links to sex workers
One reason the ECHO believes the family holds questions over the legitimacy of the note is the fact they are yet to retrieve his phone. It is believed the phone is in the hands of someone who claims to be Samuel’s friend, although it is unclear who this is.
Another aspect not discussed during the inquest, is the fact two photos appeared on Samuel’s Facebook profile on May 16, more than a month after his death.
The photos, two portraits of the 23-year-old, had not previously been on the profile when the ECHO looked. While no phone was recovered from the scene, a black rucksack was. It contained two “virtually empty” bottles of whiskey, along with a phone charger and a pair of black reading glasses.
Despite the bottles of alcohol being nearly empty, Samuel’s alcohol levels were deemed low when a toxicology was completed.
The inquest heard how Samuel’s occupation was given as a “seller” and on his LinkedIn profile he describes himself as a retailer for a men’s clothing store. However, his family claim this is far from the truth, with it believed this was an old position he held prior to travelling to the UK.
His mum, Neire Souza, claims he travelled to the UK, having entered the country in Dover from Calais on February 27 this year, to manage the schedule of sex workers, also working as a doorman during his brief spell in the country.
Neira told the ECHO how her son had travelled from Belgium to Amsterdam before arriving in the UK, spending around two-and-a-half months in Europe before he arrived on Merseyside.
In a series of social media posts, family members claimed Samuel had been killed, with them sharing screenshots of conversations with Samuel before his death that show multiple mobile phones on a table along with CCTV footage of a group of people outside what is thought to be his front door.
A further message also shows a wad of cash featuring £50 notes.
While the family had initially shared concerns over the nature of Samuel’s death, Neira told the ECHO this week: “Based on everything Samuel told me, I believe this psychological pressure contributed to him developing severe depression, which ultimately led him to take his own life.”
Questions remain as to why and how Samuel’s death came about, with links to crime and sex workers allegedly operating in the country and across Europe, his family continue their search for answers.