On the morning of last Tuesday (3), sad news shook those who frequent the Interlagos Race Track, in the South Zone of São Paulo. Businessman Adalberto Amarilio dos Santos Junior, 35, was found dead inside an excavation at the site. The case has raised many questions and, until now, no one has been able to explain exactly what happened that night.
According to information from the São Paulo Criminalistics Institute, the main suspicion is that Adalberto died from chest compression — basically, as if he had been crushed, which ended up causing asphyxiation. The body was inside a very narrow hole, about 80 centimeters wide and almost three meters deep. The area where he was found is part of a city construction project that is currently underway there.
The director of the institute, Ricardo Lopes Ortega, commented that the scene was recorded with the help of drones and 3D scanners, which shows that the investigation is being carried out with a lot of technology involved. However, there are still many missing pieces in this puzzle.
Adalberto had been missing since the night of the previous Friday, the 30th. He had gone to a motorcycle event at the racetrack and, around 7:40 p.m., sent a message to his wife, Fernanda Dândalo, saying he would be back around 8:30 p.m. A friend told the police that he saw Adalberto after that and that he said he was going to pick up the car at the Interlagos Karting Track, which is nearby. After that, there was silence.
During the early hours of the morning, worried, Fernanda used the tracker on her husband’s cell phone and saw that the device was still in the area of the racetrack. She was left without news for days, until his body was found on Tuesday.
The preliminary report from the IML did not indicate any signs of fracture or direct violence. There were no signs of blows, cuts or anything else obvious. Giovanni Chiarelo, technical director of the IML, explained that imaging tests and x-rays were performed and that they are still waiting for the results of toxicological, subungual (which check if there was a fight) and anatomopathological tests. The bruises found on the body will also be analyzed to determine whether they occurred before or after death.
The strangest thing is that nothing seems to have been stolen. His wallet with documents and money, his cell phone, his wedding ring and even his helmet were with him. There were no bank transactions after he disappeared, according to his family. The Civil Police suspect that his body had already been placed in the hole, dead. There is no evidence of an escape attempt or clear signs of violence at the scene.
Homicide detective Ivalda Aleixo said the death probably occurred between 36 and 40 hours before the body was found. Another strange detail: Adalberto was found without pants or sneakers, but there was no blood or obvious signs of aggression.
The case is still shrouded in mystery. Although investigations are ongoing, with the use of cutting-edge technology and detailed analyses, the truth is still far from being revealed. In the meantime, Adalberto’s family and friends are still trying to understand what happened to him that night at the racetrack — a place where he just wanted to enjoy a motorcycle event and go home.