Jorlan Alves da Silva, 33, was arrested in Brazil after trying to evade police by dressing as a woman and carrying a two-year-old child – he has since claimed to have committed 80 murders
A suspected serial killer who attempted to dodge a police manhunt by dressing as a woman has admitted to 80 murders after being connected to 16 killings in merely three months.
Jorlan Alves da Silva, 33, declared his homicide tally was more than four times the figure police originally thought he might have committed following his capture in a wig, dress and painted nails.
He was also clutching a two-year-old child who officers say bears no relation to the criminal in a peculiar bid to avoid detention. Alves da Silva was apprehended on Sunday in Mulungu, a municipality situated in the central-northeastern region of the Brazilian state of Paraiba, after a 48-hour police operation to nab him two days following his near-capture on a federal highway when a man accompanying him was seized but he fled.
The runaway was recognised by the prominent tattoo on his chest concealed beneath the women’s garments he was wearing.
Officers say they are now attempting to verify whether Alves da Silva, who has stated he carried out his first homicide aged merely 13, genuinely has slain the number of victims he claims.
The 16 killings he has been connected to took place during a three-month spell since his most recent release from prison in May.
They are believed to include the murders of two shopkeepers on August 1 in Rio Tinto, another municipality in Paraiba in Brazil’s northeastern region.
He is also under investigation over the death of a young woman whose remains were discovered after he revealed where it was buried.
Police chief Douglas Garcia commented on Alves da Silva’s confession to 80 murders, stating: “It is a very significant number. We believe that, if it is not that number, it is something very close to it.”
He further added: “He coldly confessed to several murders, even revealing that his first crime was committed at the age of 13, during his police interrogation.”
Local media reports suggest the alleged serial killer informed police that his victims were individuals connected to criminal activities and mentioned a sort of “clean-up”, although this has yet to be confirmed by detectives.
He is thought to be a suspected member of a criminal faction originating from Rio de Janeiro and operating in Paraiba.
Five arrest warrants had been issued for him prior to his capture, including four for aggravated murders. The child who was with him when he was apprehended is reported to be doing well.
No details have been disclosed about the child’s identity and police are said to be investigating how the two-year-old came to be with Jorlan.
For the latest breaking news and stories from across the globe from the Daily Star, sign up for our newsletters.