Family Locates Jiu-Jitsu Champion Fernando Margarida After Five Days Missing

Overview

• Hotel employees reported that Fernando Ribeiro Pontes, known as Fernando Margarida, was last seen after an altercation with a woman named Beatriz dos Santos Couto on Monday, July 20, and they said they heard screams and pleas for help.
• The athlete's sister filed a boletim de ocorrência that records the hotel workers' accounts and reports that the woman later sent audio messages saying Fernando "would die" and "would never be found."
• Family members found Fernando in another São Paulo hotel on the morning of Sunday, July 26, saying he is well and that his cellphone was discharged when he was located.
• Officers from the 34th Police District are carrying out diligências to clarify what happened between July 20 and July 26, to verify the origin and intent of the audio messages, and to decide whether any charges should be filed.
• Fernando Margarida is a noted jiu-jitsu world champion who gives seminars and private lessons, and his disappearance prompted strong concern in the martial-arts community that has now shifted to demands for clear answers from investigators.