Elderly Woman Fatally Stabbed at Minas Gerais Farm; Caretakers Arrested for Robbery-Homicide

An elderly woman, identified as 79-year-old Salestiana Silva Coelho, was found dead from stab wounds in her rural home in São João Batista do Glória, Minas Gerais, on Sunday, May 12th. Her husband, who is hearing impaired, was reportedly locked in another room during the incident and discovered his wife after managing to escape. The couple's caretakers, a man and a woman, have been arrested on suspicion of involvement in the crime, which police are initially treating as latrocínio, or robbery followed by death. Following the crime, the suspects allegedly fled with two televisions from the residence in the victims' car. They were apprehended during an operation spanning São João Batista do Glória and Passos. Both suspects provided conflicting accounts of the events, with each attempting to blame the other for the murder, which heightened police suspicion. The male suspect had reportedly worked as a caretaker for about six years, while the female suspect had been living with him on the property for approximately two months. The male caretaker initially claimed to have found the victim already deceased but later changed his story, alleging his partner committed the crime and he merely drove her to Passos. The female suspect, found with traces of blood on her hands, also implicated her partner, stating he believed the victims kept money, jewelry, and diamonds on the property. The contradictions in their statements, combined with the stolen items and their flight, led to their arrests. The Civil Police are continuing the investigation into the crime's dynamics and each suspect's role, also examining the trust relationship between the elderly couple and the caretakers.