The body of a 27-year-old mum who police believe was killed over a drug debt has been found in a street bin.
Joyce Almeida de Sousa was discovered wrapped in a pink sheet in São José do Rio Preto, São Paulo State, Brazil.
The authorities said the victim, who had a nine-year-old son, was living on the streets and possibly owed money to local drug dealers, according to authorities,
According to the Civil Police, her body showed signs of beating and strangulation.
She was found in the bin with a wire wrapped around her neck on January 18.
Gruesome images of the crime scene show a pool of blood had formed under the bin.
Her aunt Fátima Regina dos Anjos said: “On Wednesday, I talked to my sister (the victim's mother) before we found out about her death.
“She said she couldn't accept losing her daughter. She was referring to Joyce living on the street, but she seemed to have a sense of what had happened.”
Fátima said they tried to seek help for the young woman’s alleged drug dependence as she would often disappear for days on end.
She added: “Even with so many problems in her life, Joyce was someone who wouldn’t refuse help to anyone.
“She always had a word of encouragement and hope. Her heart was in the right place.”
After the victim’s identity was disclosed, a local woman claimed that she spoke with Joyce in a petrol station just a few days before she was killed.
The woman, who wished to remain anonymous, said Joyce approached her to ask for money.
She said: “I asked about her life and she told me she had a son and was fighting drug addiction, that she been living on the streets for a short time.”
According to the woman, Joyce told her that she was pregnant. This was unknown to her family members and has yet to be confirmed by the local authorities.
She was buried at São João Batista Cemetery on January 20.
The police have yet to arrest any suspects as the investigation continues.
Brazil has one of the highest homicide rates in the world.
A recent shocking murder that hit international headlines involved a woman being stoned to death by her ex-boyfriend in front of her five-year-old daughter.
Synara Souza, 36, was killed in São João do Jaguaribe, Ceará State, Brazil, on Wednesday, and her body was found near a public road.
The little girl, who was not injured in the attack, was said to be in shock after witnessing the "very cruel death" of her mum, a devastated relative said.
The Secretariat for Public Security and Social Defence for Ceará State said the victim’s body was found with multiple injuries caused by a blunt object.
The police confirmed that a man has been arrested and the investigation is ongoing.
