A Brazilian serial killer dressed as a woman, hid in the woods and was nicknamed 'mosquito'

SAO PAULO — A man accused of killing 16 people in a remote part of Brazil avoided capture by hiding in the woods, the police investigator responsible for his arrest said Monday.

Douglas Garcia, the investigator who led the two-day pursuit for 33-year-old Jorlan Lopes da Silva that ended on Sep. 13, told The Associated Press that the suspect used to hide in the thick bush in his own makeshift camps. The killings linked to da Silva occurred within the last three months in the isolated region of Mulungu in Brazil’s northeastern state of Paraiba.

Garcia added that da Silva was nicknamed “mosquito” by locals because of his frail build.

“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.”

Garcia said police finally saw the link between da Silva and other crimes after he shot an 18-year-old dead in a public square. The investigator said the serial killer claims he has only attacked criminals, but evidence collected thus far shows that was not the case.

Garcia also said da Silva is providing evidence he committed more crimes than those he is being prosecuted for but added he cannot discuss further details as some investigations continue and others are being reopened.

The investigator said the identity of the victims and details about their deaths are being kept confidential so the prosecution can do its work.

Da Silva was captured wearing a black dress with white stripes, a wig and painted nails. He was carrying a baby that authorities confirmed was not related to him, but they did not provide any other details.

“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,” Garcia said.

Police said at the time that da Silva was a member of a criminal gang that has killed dozens of people in the region. He denies any affiliation with local gangs and told investigators upon his arrest that he was “in a personal war.”

The region of Mulungu, where the recent killings took place, lies 2,500 kilometers (1,553 miles) north of Rio de Janeiro.