An aspiring councillor and her influencer sister were kidnapped, tortured, and stabbed to death “over an innocent hand gesture”.
Rayane and Rithiely Alves Porto, their brother, and another man were snatched on Friday (13 Sept) night.
They were reportedly taken to a house used as a hideout, where all four were tortured by about seven people.
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One of the men managed to escape by jumping over a wall, and he alerted the authorities.
He led the police to the hideout, where the sisters were found dead.
Their hair had been cut off and some of their fingers were missing.
Their blood-soaked brother was found alive at the hideout in Porto Esperidião, west of Brasília, Brazil.
His left ear and one of his fingers had been cut off, and he had stab wounds to the back of his neck.
The motive for the attack is under investigation, but the police say it may have been triggered by a photo.
The sisters had posed for a snap at the Jauru River, which was shared on social media.
It shows them making hand gestures, one of which may have been mistaken for a gang sign by a rival gang.
The man who escaped said the suspects had identified themselves as gang members.
Police chief Higo Rafael said: “A preliminary theory is that the motive was this photo.
“They grabbed the victims at a riverside party, searched the girls’ phones right there at the event, and then took them to a house.
“While torturing them, they called their families, demanding 100,000 BRL (£13,600).”
The police have made nine arrests in connection with the case.
Rayane, 25, had stood as a candidate for the local council in recent local elections.
She belonged to the Republicans party, which said it hopes “the circumstances of this brutal crime are quickly clarified by the authorities”.
Rithiely, 28, boasted 87,600 followers on Instagram.
The sisters came from a circus family, as reported by Need To Know.
Their dad is a circus performer and their paternal granddad was a clown.
They were laid to rest in Glória d’Oeste yesterday (15 Sept).
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