Man Kills Wife, Buries Body Under New Floor, and Confesses to Police in Brazil

A 46-year-old man, identified as Mário Almeida Pinto, has confessed to killing his 33-year-old wife, Monique Oliveira Fernandes, and burying her body inside their home in São José do Calçado, Espírito Santo, Brazil. The victim had been missing for 20 days. Pinto admitted to digging a hole in the couple's bedroom, placing his wife's body inside, and then reconstructing the concrete floor and installing new ceramic tiles over the site to conceal the remains. The delegate described the burial site as a 'well-made tomb.'

Police became suspicious when they learned Pinto was undertaking construction work inside the house while his wife was missing. He initially maintained that his wife had traveled, but this alibi was not sustained. Pinto eventually turned himself in to the police with his lawyer on Friday, July 24th, and confessed to the crime. He claimed the incident occurred after an argument, stating Monique attacked him with a knife, and in self-defense, he struck her with a wooden bench. He alleged she got up and attacked him again, at which point he struck her a second time, causing her death.

Pinto was arrested and charged with concealing a corpse, as the homicide occurred days before his voluntary surrender, preventing a flagrante delicto charge for murder. The victim's mother, Silvania Santos de Oliveira, expressed her grief, stating she had tried to prevent the tragedy after discovering messages from another woman on Pinto's phone. She described their relationship as troubled and had advised her daughter to leave him. Monique leaves behind two teenage children from a previous relationship.