UIRAMUTÃ, RORAIMA, BRAZIL – NOVEMBER 3, 2026 Body of 25-year-old José da Silva Santana was found on Tuesday evening in the indigenous community of Caracaranã in the northern part of the Brazilian state of Roraima. The man had his throat slit, and his body was partially burned.
Two men, a father and son, confessed to the murder, claiming that they killed José because they considered him a so-called “rabudo” – a feared mythical creature from indigenous legends associated with Canaimé.
According to their statements, they were transporting José from the community of Flexal when he allegedly tried to escape. The son then shot him in the head with a shotgun. His father subsequently slit his throat with a sickle and inflicted additional injuries to his abdomen and arms with a knife. Finally, both men set the body on fire. They also filmed the entire attack themselves.
One of the suspects later voluntarily approached a police patrol and confessed to the murder, also implicating his father. Both men were arrested and are facing charges of aggravated murder.
The term “rabudo” originates from the mythology of several indigenous peoples in the Roraima region. According to local superstitions, it refers to an evil supernatural being capable of taking the form of both humans and animals and attacking its victims. A similar belief was also cited as the motive for a violent crime by an indigenous man who was arrested in Uiramutã in 2024 for murdering his own cousin.
José’s body was transported to the Institute of Forensic Medicine in Boa Vista for forensic examinations. Police are continuing their investigation. The identities of both suspects have not yet been released.
