Man accused of 16 killings caught dressed as a woman after forest manhunt

A suspect accused of slaughtering 16 people in a remote region of northeastern Brazil evaded capture by hiding out in makeshift forest camps, police revealed Monday.

Lead investigator Douglas Garcia, who spearheaded the two-day manhunt that ended with the Sept. 13 arrest of 33-year-old Jorlan Lopes da Silva, told The Associated Press that the suspect used his knowledge of the dense bush to elude authorities. The killings tied to da Silva all took place over a three-month span in the isolated territory of Mulungu, located in Paraiba state roughly 1,553 miles north of Rio de Janeiro.

Locals dubbed da Silva "Mosquito" due to his frail frame—a physical trait Garcia said unexpectedly worked to the suspect's advantage.

"That allowed him to evade capture for years," Garcia said. "Jorlan lived mostly in the woods; that’s why it was so hard to find him and link him to crimes that didn’t seem to be connected at first."

Detectives finally connected da Silva to the string of murders after he allegedly gunned down an 18-year-old victim in a public square. While da Silva claimed to investigators that he exclusively targeted criminals, police said evidence collected so far disproves his assertion.

During questioning, da Silva reportedly confessed to additional offenses beyond the current charges. Garcia noted that several closed cold cases are being reopened, though specific victim details remain confidential to protect ongoing prosecutions.

Da Silva's eventual arrest yielded surreal circumstances: police intercepted him wearing a black-and-white striped dress, a wig, and painted fingernails while carrying an unrelated infant.

"This is a very different person; he said he killed for the first time at age 13," Garcia said. "We caught him because he wasn’t able to reach his tent in the woods, so he, out of desperation, got that disguise, took that baby that is not his and was ultimately arrested."

Authorities previously alleged da Silva belongs to an organized criminal syndicate responsible for dozens of regional homicides. However, da Silva denied any gang ties upon his arrest, telling officers he was simply engaged in a "personal war."