Brazil Arrests 38-Year-Old for Posing as 12-Year-Old for 16 Months
Updated
Updated · The Daily Beast · Jun 11
Brazil Arrests 38-Year-Old for Posing as 12-Year-Old for 16 Months
3 articles · Updated · The Daily Beast · Jun 11
Summary
Amanda Maria Souza de Oliveira was arrested in Santa Catarina after authorities said she convinced a Joinville couple she was a 12-year-old girl and lived with them for 16 months.
Police said Oliveira first approached the couple at church as “Gabrielle,” claiming to be an autistic 18-year-old needing help, then shifted her story and said she was actually 11.
Inside the home, she allegedly sustained the deception with childlike behavior — including pacifiers and baby bottles — while living in a toy-filled bedroom and celebrating a 12th birthday party.
A visiting relative grew suspicious and found online evidence of Oliveira posing as a child elsewhere, leading investigators to allege she had run similar scams in cities including Rio de Janeiro for 15 years.