21-year-old influencer executed in front of her father days after release from custody

Evelyn Lima Dantas, a 21-year-old influencer, was forcibly taken from her home and shot dead in front of her father, just days after being released from custody.

The incident occurred in northeastern Brazil in the early hours of Wednesday, while the young woman was under investigation for suspected involvement in the murder of a former police officer.

Her father testified that at around 3:30 a.m., two people forced their way into the family home. They dragged the 21-year-old outside and shot her several times, killing her.

At the scene of the execution, the perpetrators spray-painted the letters “TCP.” The letters stand for Terceiro Comando Puro (Third Pure Command), one of Brazil’s known criminal factions.

According to witnesses, those involved fled in a vehicle before police arrived. Officers found Dantas’ body on the sidewalk, covered with a sheet.

The young woman had more than 150,000 followers on social media. The content she shared focused on daily life, beauty and fitness.

Her murder occurred as authorities were investigating the execution of Antonio Anildo Alves da Silva, a 56-year-old former police officer. He was killed outside a supermarket on July 29 after being shot by four masked individuals.

Investigators suspected that Dantas had assisted those responsible for the former police officer’s murder, and she was arrested in July. On September 9, she was provisionally released, approximately one week before she was executed.

Police said the 21-year-old had previously been known to authorities. In the past, she had been arrested on suspicion of trafficking drugs on behalf of a criminal group.

Authorities have opened an investigation into the murder and are working to identify and arrest those responsible. However, it has not yet been confirmed whether Terceiro Comando Puro, the group referenced by the “TCP” graffiti, was actually involved in the execution.

One of the possible motives being investigated is that the crime was committed in revenge.

Rodrigo Lopes told reporters that investigators were working on the hypothesis that the murder may have been intended to cover up evidence or may have been an act of revenge by a criminal faction.