Maceió Police Confirm 6-Year-Old Boy Was Sexually Abused Before Death; Great-Uncle Suspected

Alagoas Civil Police have confirmed that 6-year-old Peterson Ykaro Gomes Cardoso was a victim of sexual abuse prior to his death. His body was discovered on Monday, June 6th, in a vacant lot covered by vegetation on Avenida José Moura Rocha in the Cidade Universitária neighborhood of Maceió. The primary suspect in the case is the victim's 46-year-old great-uncle, Emanuel Vicente, who is the brother of the boy's mother. Vicente was arrested on Tuesday morning, June 7th, near the Utinga Station in Rio Largo, part of the metropolitan region.

While the exact cause of death is still under investigation, authorities suspect asphyxiation. Delegate Tacyane Ribeiro, coordinator of the Homicide and Personal Protection Division (DHPP), stated there are strong indications the boy was suffocated. The Medical Legal Institute (IML) will determine the definitive cause of death. Peterson Ykaro had been spending the weekend with his divorced father, retired military officer Edílson Cupertino Cardoso. When the father went to take Peterson to his mother, Érika Santos Gomes da Silva, he found she had not yet returned from work and left the boy at the home of his maternal great-aunt and uncle.

Later, Érika learned Peterson was at his great-aunt and uncle's house but found no one there upon arrival. The family initiated a search. Witnesses reported seeing the child walking towards the vacant lot hand-in-hand with a man, who later left the area alone. A family member found Peterson's body in the lot. A cell phone, believed to belong to the great-uncle, was found near the body. Forensic and medical examiner teams were dispatched to the scene.