A woman from Cuiabá, Brazil, recently suffered a miscarriage. Afterward, she allegedly lured Emilly Azevedo Sena, a pregnant teenager, into a trap with the promise of free baby clothes. Once Sena and the woman — identified as 25-year-old Nataly Helen Martins Pereira — were together, the suspect allegedly sliced Sena’s abdomen open, removed the child from her womb, and placed Sena in a shallow grave. Sena, who was nine months pregnant, was reported missing on March 12, 2025.
Pereira’s dark deeds came to light when she attempted to pass Sena’s baby off as her own. She had reportedly been communicating with Sena on social media, Sena’s mother Ana Paula Meridiane, told G1. Pereira claimed that she was the mother of two boys and was expecting a girl, which is why she had the extra clothes to donate. She also told Sena she had a crib bumper and sent her the address where she could retrieve the items. Once Sena left her home, her family never saw her again.
Hospital staff were the first to alert police.
Police began investigating Pereira after they received a call from the hospital on March 13, People reported. Employees told police that a woman and her husband came to the hospital with a newborn baby. Pereira claimed the newborn was hers and tried to register the child with the hospital, but the staff were suspicious. They didn’t see any signs of pregnancy or her having recently been in labor.
As police investigated, they traveled to the couple’s home, where they discovered Sena’s body in a shallow grave. She had T-shaped lesions on her abdomen and was believed to be still alive when her baby was removed from her body, G1 reported. Pereira reportedly used plastic bags to muffle Sena’s screams. Her cause of death was blood loss and not because she couldn’t breathe as authorities initially suspected.
The cuts on Sena’s body were precise.
Alessandra Carvalho Mariano, Metropolitan Director of Forensic Medicine, said the incisions on Sena’s body seemed to have been performed by someone who had mastered these cutting techniques.
“The cut was very precise and she didn’t hesitate, even preserving layers,” Mariano said. “She was spot on in the uterus.” On social media, Pereira claimed to have worked as a firefighter and first responder. Pereira and her husband were arrested on March 13, but her husband and two other men were released after giving statements to police.
Pereira did not appear remorseful.
During her interview with police, Pereira confessed to the crime in great detail and reportedly had no remorse. She also confirmed that she miscarried in October 2024. Pereira did not inform her family of the loss and pretended she was still pregnant. “She had lost a baby about six months ago,” her defense claimed in a statement obtained by G1. “This would be the second time she had had a miscarriage and so she decided to maintain this false pregnancy (without her husband knowing). According to calculations, this daughter she had lost would have been born during this period.”
Thankfully, Sena’s baby survived. Authorities located the newborn’s rightful family and released the child to them. During a memorial for her daughter, Meridiane said, “I didn’t just lose a daughter, I lost a friend, partner and companion. Only those who lived with her know how wonderful her heart was.” Because of what happened, Pereira’s three other children will undergo DNA tests to determine if they are her biological children.
