Brazilian cops are investigating a mysterious case of a 23-year-old pregnant woman's dead body that was found without her child inside her womb with no signs of being surgically removed.

Authorities identified the murder victim as Thaysa Campo dos Santos who was eight months pregnant with her baby. The woman's dead body was discovered near a railway line in the Deodoro neighborhood in Rio de Janeiro in September 2020.

Missing Baby Girl

Officials recently released documents that showed the victim's unborn baby girl was missing from her womb when she was found dead. Medical experts wrote on the post-mortem that there were no signs of the baby being surgically removed, suggesting the woman gave birth naturally to her daughter.

Authorities said Thaysa was separated from the father of her two children. They added that the missing baby girl was from a relationship with a married man. The victim was reported missing on September 3, 2020. But by the time her body was found seven days later on September 7, 2020, it was already in the middle of decaying.

Nelson Massini, professor of forensic medicine at Rio de Janeiro State University, said the most plausible explanation for a missing unborn baby from a dead woman was that it was kidnapped. He said it was possible that Thaysa went into labor as she was being killed and that someone took her baby afterward, The Sun reported.

Jaqueline Campos, an educational psychologist and the victim's mother, expressed her optimism that her granddaughter was still alive and that Thaysa was forced into labor during her suffering. She added that several of her relatives searched the area where Thaysa's body was found but did not locate any traces of the baby girl.

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Campos said she requested authorities to find her granddaughter, if she is still alive, and bring her back to her. Thaysa's family proceeded to bury her remains in the Caju neighborhood in Rio de Janeiro.

Officials are still investigating the crime, looking for evidence that could lead to the identity of the killer and the location of the missing baby girl. Currently, authorities have not released any information regarding possible suspects or motives for the crime, News.com.au reported.

COVID-19 Deaths Among Young Children

The incident comes as Brazil struggles with thousands of young children dying from the coronavirus pandemic in the country. The region has recently recorded half a million deaths related to the COVID-19 virus, coming in second to the United States.

Many experts are issuing warnings that the death toll is quickly rising, with about 3,000 of the deaths among children under the age of 10.

One 22-year-old resident gave birth to her little Sarah Gois in January in the middle of the pandemic. Her overwhelming love and care for her child were not enough to stop the virus from infecting the little one and taking the baby's life.

The mother of the young victim, Sameque Gois, said she was afraid it was something that she spread to her child. She was unable to do anything as she watched her child die at only five months old, KVOA reported.

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