Woman who pretended to be a 12-year-old child is reported for false identity

The Public Ministry of Santa Catarina denounced, this Tuesday (9), the 37-year-old woman who pretended to be a 12-year-old teenager and lived as the adopted daughter of a family in Joinville, in the north of Santa Catarina, for around 14 months.

The MP's complaint calls for the conviction of the person being investigated for the crimes of embezzlement and false identity. With the request made, it is up to the Court of Justice of Santa Catarina to decide whether to make her a defendant and whether she should answer for the crimes charged.

Referred to as "Gabriele Ferreira dos Santos", the false identity was discovered on June 2, after a family member found the case strange and reported it to the Police. She was arrested and, during police interrogation, the woman confessed to all the crimes.

Justice determines the establishment of a mental insanity exam
The Court of Justice of Santa Catarina had already ordered the establishment of an incident of mental insanity to assess the woman's psychological condition.

The measure meets the defense's request and provides for a medical examination to verify whether she is capable of responding to the process.

If it is found that the woman did not understand her actions, the result could directly influence the course of the sentence, providing for the application of a security measure instead of a custodial sentence.

How was the crime discovered?
The crime was discovered after an aunt, who belonged to the woman's adoptive family, contacted the police. She and the suspect's adoptive father carried out research on the internet and found that the woman had already committed the same crime in at least five different states.

During the investigations, the Civil Police identified the true identity of the suspect and found that she had records of incidents in São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Minas Gerais, Rio Grande do Sul and Goiás.

As she pretended to be a teenager
The woman, who falsely used the name "Gabriele", had lived with her adoptive parents for approximately 14 months and, throughout this period, exhibited childish and playful behavior, using bottles, pacifiers and a "smell" to sleep frequently.

According to police chief Rodrigo Bueno Gusso, she had a room of her own, painted pink and with decorations for children. The offender also pretended to suffer panic attacks, insecurities about sleeping alone and asked her adoptive mother to put her to bed.

According to the Civil Police, the woman maintained the disguise under the allegation of having autism and other clinical conditions, which made her features appear to be that of an older person.

The woman still justified her adult appearance by saying that her features were the result of the forced use of hormones during childhood.

She told her adoptive family that she had been subjected to prostitution during her childhood, including being forced to take hormones. According to the corporation, these allegations made the family believe in the investigation.

Adoption was never formalized; understand
According to researchers, the adoption was never formalized through legal means, as provided for in the legislation. In testimony, the family members reported that they tried to initiate the necessary procedures and even tried to enroll the alleged teenager in an educational institution.

However, according to the police, the woman was trying to prevent the process from progressing. She claimed that a formal adoption would communicate her location to her biological father and that, therefore, she would be afraid.

*Under AR supervision.

Source: CNN