Two macabre cases in which Portuguese women have been found dismembered and their body parts thrown into rivers have hit the headlines within a week of each other : one here and one in Germany.
The Portuguese horror was discovered in Salvaterra de Magos, and the alleged murderer – a 28-year-old Brazilian man – is already behind bars and awaiting trial.
Guilherme Grosso is understood to have confessed to killing his 30-year-old girlfriend Jordana Dias, explaining that she had told him she was pregnant, and he did not want the baby.
Allegedly stabbing her to death and cutting her into pieces, Grosso is understood to have told police that he threw the dead woman’s dead into the river Tejo and buried body parts in a pine copse.
Grosso has been indicted on charges of murder, abortion, and profaning a corpse.
But in Leipzig, judicial police appear to be at a loss as to who might have murdered 43-year-old immigrant Lídia Maria da Cruz.
She is understood to have arrived in Germany in the company of her boyfriend, a Portuguese called António, and, according to her family, despite having a troubled relationship, was reasonably happy.
Things appear to have changed as a result of her losing her job, her sister has told TVI24 – though the sister was not aware of the fact that Lídia had ended up separating from her boyfriend and living in shelters for the homeless.
As investigations continue, moves are underway to get the dead woman back to Portugal for burial.
A German police autopsy points to her death having resulted from “extreme violence”.
A homeless person seems to have been the first to see Lídia’s torso floating in a canal in Leipzig.
Remaining body parts were discovered in the area over the coming days, says Público.
Yesterday (Wednesday), the canal was partially drained to continue searches for clues along the banks, and “also because a second woman had disappeared in the same waters”.
The second woman’s bicycle was found on the canal banks, says Público, adding that “authorities do not believe the two cases are related”.
