A Brazilian actor who went missing in January has been found dead inside a wooden chest cemented two metres deep with a metal wire around his neck and his hands tied.
Missing actor Jefferson "Jeff" Machado da Costa was found buried at a ramshackle property in the Campo Grande neighbourhood of Rio de Janeiro on 22nd May.
The 44-year-old, who went missing on 27th January, was identified through fingerprint analysis at the Institute of Forensic Medicine.
The property belongs to a woman who has already been interviewed by the Missing Persons Unit.
She stated that she did not know Jeff but rented the space to a man, whom the police have already identified.
The lawyer representing the actor's family, Jairo Magalhaes, said: "The body was found inside the chest, with hands tied and this metal wire, something resembling a steel cable, around the neck.
"This detail suggests that he was a victim of strangulation, but we are still awaiting the autopsy report to determine the cause of death."
He added: "Some liquid was applied to Jefferson's body. This was visibly noticed in the photos taken of the body."
Based on preliminary analysis, the police believe that the liquid could have been used to mitigate the smell of the decomposing body.
The lawyer revealed: "This chest belongs to Jeff, it is similar to another one he has in his house, and it was taken from there.
"This is another clue that led the police to suspect someone who had access to Jeff's house was involved in the case."
Local media reported that it took nine men to remove Jeff's body: two operating a jackhammer, two civil police officers taking turns with picks and shovels, and five Civil Defence personnel.
Jeff, who worked on the soap opera "Reis", is known to have disappeared after leaving a house in the Campo Grande neighbourhood.
His family only learnt about his disappearance when an NGO contacted them to inform them that his pet dogs had been found abandoned.
The setter-breed dogs were microchipped, and six of them were found in the Santa Cruz, Pechincha, and Campo Grande neighbourhoods of Rio de Janeiro between 30th January and 4th February.
One died after being hit by a car, and another was still missing at the time of reporting.
After some of the setters were found, an individual contacted the NGO Indefesos pretending to be their owner.
They claimed to be travelling and said that they had left the dogs with a friend, but they had escaped.
An individual impersonating Jeff was also in contact with the actor's mother through messaging apps.
The mother, Maria das Dores, said that the messages did not resemble the actor's style of writing.
No suspected motive has been reported, and the investigation is ongoing.
