JOÃO PESSOA, PARAÍBA, BRAZIL – SEPTEMBER 12, 2026 Body of 22-year-old Jonailton José Venâncio da Costa was exhumed from the São José Cemetery. The perpetrators then burned the body and separated the head from it.
Jonailton José Venâncio da Costa had been shot dead just two days earlier inside a community kitchen in the Costa e Silva area. According to police, he had been trying to hide there from a group of suspects who were pursuing him.
Police believe members of a rival gang were behind the desecration of the grave. According to information provided to investigators, the head was taken away and left in front of the victim’s home. Police subsequently began searching for it.
A cemetery security worker was also attacked and subdued during the incident. Cemetery operations were temporarily suspended, and investigators are expected to use footage from the city’s security cameras.
