A 21-year-old social media influencer under investigation in the killing of a retired police sergeant was shot dead outside her own home in northeastern Brazil early Wednesday, just over a week after she was released from custody. Police are now examining whether her death was retaliation, a cover-up, or connected to the earlier case in some other way.
What Happened Early Wednesday Morning
Evelyn Lima Dantas was at home with her father on Rua Bernardo Ferreira de Oliveira, in the São Francisco neighborhood of Mãe do Rio — a town in the northeastern part of Pará state, roughly 178 kilometers from the state capital, Belém.
At around 3:30 a.m., at least two armed men arrived by car and forced their way into the residence. According to her father’s account to police, the men made him lie on the floor while they dragged Dantas outside to the front of the house. She was then shot multiple times on the sidewalk before the attackers fled the scene.
Neighbors reported hearing several gunshots, which prompted the call to police. Officers arrived to find Dantas’ body on the pavement, covered with a sheet. Her father, who had reportedly begun cleaning the area where the attack occurred, was asked to stop so investigators could preserve the crime scene.
Before leaving, the attackers spray-painted the letters “TCP” on the front of the house — a reference to Terceiro Comando Puro, a criminal organization that originated in Rio de Janeiro. Police have not confirmed whether the group was actually responsible for the killing or whether the marking was intended to mislead investigators.
The Case That Put Her Under Investigation
Dantas’ death came while she was already entangled in a separate homicide investigation. In July, she was arrested on suspicion of involvement in the killing of Antônio Anildo Alves da Silva, a 56-year-old retired police sergeant who was shot dead by masked gunmen outside a supermarket on July 29.
Investigators believed Dantas may have assisted the men responsible for that killing in some capacity, though authorities have not detailed the exact nature of the suspected involvement. She was held in preventive detention before being released on September 9 — just over a week before she herself was killed — reportedly due to insufficient grounds to continue holding her.
Police say she had also previously faced arrest on suspicion of drug trafficking tied to the same criminal organization.
Two Theories, No Confirmed Motive
Investigators are treating Dantas’ killing as potentially connected to the sergeant’s murder case, though nothing has been confirmed. Civil Police officials say they’re working two working theories in particular: that she was killed to prevent her from providing further information — sometimes referred to by Brazilian investigators as “queima de arquivo,” or eliminating a loose end — or that it was retaliation by a criminal faction.
“We are working with the hypothesis of a cover-up or retaliation by some criminal faction,” a police spokesperson told reporters.
The Civil Police have said forensic examinations have been requested and that witnesses are being interviewed. Investigators are also reviewing surveillance footage that reportedly captured the vehicle used by the attackers, in hopes of identifying who was involved.
Who Was Evelyn Lima Dantas
Online, Dantas was known for sharing photos and videos from her travels, beauty routines, and time with friends and family, building a following of more than 24,000 people on social media. Her profile was taken down shortly after her death.
Locally, she was a resident of Mãe do Rio, and her case has drawn significant attention across Brazil both for the brazen nature of the attack — carried out in front of her father, in the open, outside her own home — and for its timing, coming so soon after her release from custody in an unresolved murder investigation.
Where the Investigation Stands
As of Wednesday night, Brazilian authorities had not announced any arrests in connection with Dantas’ killing. The Civil Police of Pará has opened a formal inquiry, and investigators say establishing a confirmed motive — rather than simply identifying suspects — is central to understanding whether her death was tied to the earlier case or represents a separate crime altogether.
Whether the two killings, five weeks apart, are ultimately proven connected remains an open question authorities have not yet answered.
