A woman who fell in love with a homemade rag doll has been left devastated after she claims their 'son' was kidnapped.
Meirivone Rocha Moraes fell head over heels for a toy rag doll called Marcelo, which was crafted and given to her by her mother after she complained about being single and having no one to dance with.
Just eight months after meeting for the first time the couple tied the knot in a "beautiful" wedding ceremony in front of 250 people on December 18, 2021.
The 37-year-old woman from Brazil is now claiming their baby Marcelinho has been kidnapped and is being held hostage by captors who are demanding £161 for his release.
Meirivone, who is also mother to Diego and Carol, was sent a video of the rag doll baby sitting in a corner of an abandoned building earlier in the week.
The concerned mum-of-three said: "It's all too much. I'm terrified. There's part of me worried they will set him on fire.
"I can't sleep, Marcelo is up all night calling out his son's name.
"Diego and Carol are sad because they can't understand where their brother is."
Meirivone, who is the sole earner in the household, has quit her job in a desperate bid to find their son.
She has also enlisted the help of dozens of friends and family members who are all looking for the toy tot.
Meirivone added: "I just love him so much. I'm left here thinking are they giving him a bath? Are they giving him clean milk? Are they taking good care of him?
"Deep down my mother's intuition is telling me he's fine. But I just don't know what is happening."
The worried woman has also uploaded a video to her TikTok account where she's sticking missing posters to lamp posts and handing out flyers.
People flooded to the comment section, with one person saying: "This mother's despair is heartbreaking."
Another TikToker user added: "Marcelo seems to be very calm about this."
"Oh my God, I hope they find him," added a third follower.
A fourth TikTok user demanded: "Who[ever] kidnapped Marcelinho, give him back now."
Meirivone previously made headlines after live-streaming her 'home birth' of Marcelinho in front of 200 people.
She 'gave birth' in just 35 minutes just as the pair returned home from their honeymoon in Rio de Janeiro.
She explained: "I didn't feel the contractions in pain. Seeing the placenta and the umbilical cord and the blood made it all real. He was here in 35 minutes and he is great.
"It really upsets me when people say this is fake. It makes me so angry.
"I am a woman of character. My father, my mother taught me to be honest, to be a good person and to not want to take advantage of anything
Later Meirivone hit headlines again after claiming her rag doll husband had 'cheated' on her at a motel.
She later explained that she let the deceitful husband stay because of their children.
Do you have a story to share? We pay for stories. Email us at yourmirror@mirror.co.uk
