Suspected death of Navy lieutenant in São Paulo raises process fraud concerns
Beatriz Fickert Santoro, 33 years old, was found dead in military accommodation at USP. Civil Police are investigating possible process fraud following removal of the body before examination.
Navy lieutenant dies at military base in USP; police investigate process fraud
Beatriz Fickert Santoro, a 33-year-old mechanical engineer with the Brazilian Navy, was found dead on Thursday evening in accommodation at the Navy's Technological Centre in São Paulo, located in the University City of USP, in the western zone of the capital. According to oglobo.globo.com, the death was recorded as suspected by the Civil Police in the occurrence report obtained by g1.
The circumstance that raised suspicion was the removal of the body before the arrival of the forensic examination team. A captain took Beatriz to the University Hospital of the University of São Paulo whilst already deceased, without waiting for the forensic team at the location where she was found. At the hospital, a doctor refused to sign the death certificate, which led to the activation of the Military Police.
In the occurrence report, the Civil Police state that they are investigating possible process fraud — an offence that occurs when the scene of a crime is altered or when the victim is removed from the scene with the aim of hindering the investigation. The case was registered at the 7th Police District of the Lapa; the cause of death remains under investigation.
The Public Safety Secretariat (SSP) informed, in a statement sent to g1, that responsibility for conducting the case falls to other authorities. "As the facts occurred within a military facility, the investigation and other measures will be the responsibility of the Federal Police and the Brazilian Navy," the department stated.
The Military Police described the occurrence as "discovery of a body, involving a woman found without vital signs in a Brazilian Navy dormitory, on the grounds of USP".
The Brazilian Navy confirmed the facts in a statement sent to GLOBO. "The Brazilian Navy informs, with regret, that Second-Lieutenant (RM2-EN) Beatriz Fickert Santoro was found unconscious in her accommodation at the Navy's Technological Centre in São Paulo on 24 September. The unit's medical team immediately proceeded to the location and the officer was taken to the University Hospital of the University of São Paulo, where her death was confirmed," the statement reads. The institution added that it is providing social, psychological and religious support to family members and expressed condolences to Beatriz's relatives and friends.
Source: Google News BR — Crime