A 4-year-old boy went to the doorman of the building where he lives after finding his mother, Nayara Carolina Justino dos Santos, 38, dead inside the family’s apartment in the early hours of Friday, Nov. 6, in São Vicente, in the Baixada Santista region on the coast of São Paulo state. Police said the woman was the victim of femicide and that she had allegedly been stabbed by her partner, André Luiz Coimbra Oliveira, following an argument. Oliveira left the apartment after the crime and was later arrested in the act.
According to the police report, the child arrived at the building’s entrance without a shirt and with blood on his body. He was unable to explain what had happened in words, so he tried to communicate through gestures with building employee Eder Azevedo. The gestures indicated that the boy needed help. The report’s account describes how the child reached out to an adult at the building after finding his mother.
Azevedo accompanied the boy back to the family’s apartment. Inside, he found Nayara on the bedroom floor, already dead. He called for help from other building employees so they could contact the Military Police and the Mobile Emergency Medical Service, known in Brazil as Samu. While waiting for emergency teams to arrive, Azevedo stayed with the child and provided assistance.
The killing took place in the Parque São Vicente neighborhood, at the residence where Nayara lived with her family. Police information cited in the report says Oliveira allegedly attacked her with a knife during an argument and fled soon afterward. The account does not provide further details about what led to the disagreement or the events inside the apartment.
Municipal Civil Guard officers located Oliveira a short time later as he walked alone in the rain. According to the officers’ account, he drew their attention by waving at their vehicle. They said he appeared nervous during the encounter. The officers questioned him about what had happened, and he told them that he had “messed up.” He then described the argument with Nayara and the attack that resulted in her death, according to the report.
The suspect’s account to police said that the couple’s 4-year-old son was in his own room during the argument and did not witness the assault. The information published does not describe what the child heard or saw before he went to the building’s entrance. It does state that he found his mother dead and sought help from the doorman.
After the officers found him, Oliveira was detained in the act and taken to the São Vicente Police Station. Authorities registered the case as femicide, and he remained at the disposal of the courts. That description reflects the way the incident was classified by authorities at the time of the report; the published information does not provide details about later court proceedings or a final judicial decision.
The authorities who were called to the apartment confirmed Nayara’s death. Her son was placed in the care of relatives and is expected to receive follow-up from the Child Protective Council, known in Brazil as the Conselho Tutelar. The report does not identify the family members who took him in or specify what form the council’s support will take.
The sequence described in the police report begins with the boy arriving at the building’s entrance and trying to signal that he needed assistance. Because he could not explain the situation verbally, the doorman followed him to the apartment. Once there, Azevedo found Nayara and sought help from other building employees to contact police and medical responders. He also remained with the child while they waited for the authorities.
The report identifies the child as 4 years old and says he was not present in the room where the couple argued, based on the suspect’s account. It does not state that he witnessed the alleged attack. The distinction matters when recounting what is known: the information about his location during the argument comes from what Oliveira reportedly told police, while the account of the child going to the doorman describes what happened after he found his mother.
The officials’ response involved municipal guards, police, and the emergency medical service. The municipal guards found Oliveira outside, and the Military Police and Samu were contacted after Azevedo discovered Nayara in the apartment. The available report does not detail the medical team’s actions or provide information about any forensic examination. It says only that Nayara was found dead and that the authorities who arrived confirmed her death.
In Brazil, the term femicide is used in the legal classification of killings of women in circumstances defined by law. In this case, the police registered the incident under that classification. The term describes the recorded nature of the suspected crime; it does not, by itself, mean that a court has reached a final judgment about the suspect. The information provided identifies Oliveira as the suspect and says he was arrested in the act after he was found by municipal guards.
The boy’s care was addressed after his mother’s death. Relatives took him in, and the Conselho Tutelar is expected to provide follow-up. The council’s mention in the report indicates that child-welfare authorities are expected to be involved, but the published account does not describe a specific plan, schedule, or assessment. It also does not say whether the child will remain with the same relatives permanently.
The information about the incident comes from the police report and accounts attributed to officers and the suspect. The central facts reported are that Nayara, 38, was found dead in the family’s apartment in São Vicente; her young son sought help from the building’s doorman; and her partner was located nearby and arrested. Police said the death was being investigated as femicide and that Oliveira remained available to the courts.
