A model has been found dead in the back of her ex-boyfriend’s car after customs officers stopped him for a routine inspection.
Larissa Brito’s body was discovered concealed beneath plastic bags on the back seat of the vehicle in Brignoles, France, on Monday (21 September) afternoon.
The 25-year-old’s body was badly injured and reportedly had knife wounds, according to French media.
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The driver, identified only as 29-year-old Frenchman Mathieu, was arrested at the scene after allegedly being unable to explain why Larissa’s body was in the vehicle.
The grim discovery was made at a rest area on the A8 motorway.
Larissa, originally from São Paulo, Brazil, had worked in nightclubs before receiving an offer to work abroad as a model.
She had been living in France for around three years.
Her family said she had been in a relationship with Mathieu for around five months before they split.
They claimed Larissa ended the relationship after discovering he was allegedly involved in local organised crime.
French media reports say Mathieu, who is from Savoie, has previous convictions for driving offences and offences relating to drug legislation.
Larissa’s family also alleged that Mathieu had been stalking her following their break-up, prompting her to move to another city and begin a new relationship.
Her mum Liliane Brito Nogueira said she had been in daily contact with her daughter, as reported by Need To Know.
In her final message on Sunday (20 September), Larissa reportedly told her mum that Mathieu was at her home.
She then stopped responding.
Liliane said she called Mathieu, who allegedly told her Larissa was sleeping before later blocking her number.
A missing persons report was filed just hours before Mathieu’s car was stopped by customs officers on Monday.
Larissa’s body is due to undergo a post-mortem examination on Monday (28 September), according to the Brazilian Embassy in France.
Her mum said Larissa’s current boyfriend had been left “in shock” and was assisting French police with their investigation.
Investigators also reportedly found Larissa’s flat in Nice had been cleaned and emptied.
Liliane told Brazilian media: “He cleaned the entire flat to get rid of all the fingerprints he had left behind.”
That allegation has not been established by investigators.
Unreleased CCTV footage is also said to show Mathieu leaving the block of flats carrying several bags.
Larissa’s family is now raising money to cover the cost of repatriating her body to Brazil.
The investigation continues.
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