Cousins missing in PR: truck used by suspect was hidden by him in the first three days after the crime and could be in another country, says police chief
⚡ Quick Summary
Camera recorded cousins leaving in truck with suspect, before disappearance During a press conference this Tuesday morning (16), police chief Luis Fernando Alves Silva informed that the truck used by Clayton Antonio da Silva Cruz on the day of the disappearance of his cousins Letycia Garcia Mendes and Sttela Dalva Melegari Almeida was hidden by him for the first three days after the crime.
Camera recorded cousins leaving in truck with suspect, before disappearance
During a press conference this Tuesday morning (16), police chief Luis Fernando Alves Silva informed that the truck used by Clayton Antonio da Silva Cruz on the day of the disappearance of his cousins Letycia Garcia Mendes and Sttela Dalva Melegari Almeida was hidden by him for the first three days after the crime. According to the delegate, the vehicle may even be in another country.
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In security camera images recorded on the night of April 20, the young women appear leaving Cianorte, in the northwest of Paraná, inside the pickup truck driven by Clayton. See above.
During the early hours of the 21st, they were last seen in a nightclub in Paranavaí, which is in the same region. On the same day, they stopped giving news to their families.
Cousins Letycia Garcia Mendes and Sttela Dalva Melegari Almeida have been missing for a month in Paraná.
Reproduction/Social media
Clayton returned to Cianorte days later, but he didn't have the truck. He fled soon after. The suspect has been on the run since April 29, when his preventive arrest was ordered. g1 tries to identify his defense.
"We are aware that it [truck] was hidden and could even be in another country. [...] It was hidden for the first three days", informed the delegate.
Silva also said he is in contact with national and international authorities to find Clayton's whereabouts.
Letícia and Stella have been missing for more than a month and the main line of investigation by the Civil Police (PC-PR) is the crime of double homicide.
Searches for missing cousins were carried out in the rural area of Paraíso do Norte, in Paraná.
Civil Police (PC-PR)
On Monday (15), new searches were carried out in the rural area of Paraíso do Norte, in the northwest of the state. The place is about 32 km from Paranavaí, where the cousins were last seen.
According to the delegate, the police arrived at the scene after anonymous complaints and data collection. Until the last update of this report, the police did not say whether any clues had been found at the scene.
The delegate informed that the investigations are confidential and are treated as a priority.
"Due to the time of disappearance, and also due to the dynamics of the facts, analysis, crossing of information, the main line of investigation would be a double homicide – in the future, if clarified, with the possibility of recognizing the qualification of feminicide according to the motivation of the crime", said the delegate.
Disappearance of cousins in Paraná completes one month
Remember the case by browsing this report:
Timeline of disappearance, according to the Civil Police
Who is the suspect
What remains to be answered
Timeline of disappearance, according to the Civil Police
📆10:39 pm on April 20: the young women are seen leaving Cianorte in the truck with Clayton – whom Letycia knew by the name of "Davi". The police found that they left Letycia's house. This was the last time the young woman connected to the internet, because she did not have a mobile data package, according to the corporation.
🕝 10:54 pm: the same truck is filmed by security cameras entering the city of Jussara, where Sttela lives with her mother. The young woman went to the house to get a backpack. The mother was not at the property. Check out the images below:
🕝22:55: Sttela made a post on social media and tagged Letycia. In the image she appears with a bottle of whiskey and there is music inside the truck. The publication contained the caption "What will be our destiny LOL".
🕝11:13 pm: the trio leaves Jussara and travels towards Maringá, along the PR-323 highway.
📆00:16 on April 21:, Sttela makes the second and final publication at the interchange between Presidente Castelo Branco and Nova Esperança. Clayton appears in the image, but only Letycia has the profile mentioned in the post.
🕝1h10: Stella, Letycia and Clayton are filmed in a nightclub in Paranavaí. At around 1:10 am, the trio appears entering the party. Inside, the cousins were filmed walking, hand in hand. Later, Clayton is also recorded with them. See below:
Missing cousins in Paraná: images confirm that young people went to the nightclub with the suspect
Letycia, Stella and Clayton inside the nightclub in Paranavaí.
PC-PR
🕝3:17 am: Last time Sttela connected to the internet. The information was discovered through an emergency request for breach of confidentiality by WhatsApp.
📆Between April 22nd and 23rd: Clayton returned to Cianorte alone. According to the investigation, he was without his truck and left the city again using a motorcycle and without a cell phone.
🕝9am on April 23: Clayton last connected to the internet.
📆April 24: police discovered that there is a record that the man passed through Maringá.
📆April 29: the arrest warrant is issued for Clayton, for the crimes of robbery and murder. He has been considered a fugitive for murder ever since.
📆May 15: Clayton's ex-partner, aged 23, is arrested in Paraguaçu Paulista (SP). She is suspected of providing financial and logistical support to him.
Suspect of providing financial support to fugitive due to disappearance of cousins is arrested
Who is the suspect
Clayton Antonio da Silva Cruz, 39 years old, performed in Cianorte under the false name "Davi". He was not found until the last update of this report.
Police released images of the suspect, identified as Clayton Antonio da Silva Cruz, 39 years old.
Civil Police (PC-PR)
According to the delegate, before this investigation, there was already an open arrest warrant against Clayton for the crime of robbery, committed in 2023, in Apucarana, in the North Center of Paraná. The truck he used was "cloned".
He is also known by the nicknames "Sagaz" and "Dog Dog" and was a regular at parties and clubs in Cianorte.
The delegate advises that reports about the whereabouts of Clayton or the young women can be made anonymously by calling 181, 190, 197 or at police stations.
What remains to be answered
Until the last update of this report, there is no confirmed information about where the cousins are and what crimes they were victims of. No details were released about the involvement of Clayton's ex-partner in the girls' disappearance.
There are no images shared that show the three leaving the nightclub in Paranavaí. Clayton's car was also not found.
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