A heartbreaking incident unfolded when a mother of four, Cintia Ribeiro Barbosa, was tragically murdered by a coworker after she allegedly refused to kiss him. The 38-year-old woman, who had just married eight days before her death, was working as a caregiver when the fatal encounter took place. Reports indicate that her colleague, Marcelo Junior Bastos Santos, attempted to kiss her, but when she rejected him and slapped him, he responded by strangling her.
Ribeiro’s body was discovered the day after the brutal crime on a property adjacent to her workplace. Authorities believe that after killing Ribeiro, Bastos Santos used diaper tape to bind her hands and discarded her body in an unoccupied building. Local media reports include a purported confession from the suspect, in which he allegedly admitted to strangling Ribeiro after she rejected his advances.
The investigation into Ribeiro’s murder took a turn when police learned that Bastos Santos had borrowed a shovel from a neighbor on the day of the crime. Surveillance footage further implicated him, leading to his arrest. Despite the gravity of the case, the public defender representing Bastos Santos declined to comment on the matter.
In the wake of this tragic event, Ribeiro’s husband, 50-year-old Nathanael da Silva, expressed his deep sorrow. Describing his wife as a “rare jewel,” he said, “All that is left is longing.” Reflecting on their short but meaningful marriage, he shared that they had recently wed, as their evangelical faith did not permit them to live together without marriage. Ribeiro, a mother to four children, was remembered not only as a dedicated partner but as a loving mother who embraced her husband’s children as her own.
The case has left the local community and Ribeiro’s family in shock, as they struggle to comprehend the loss of a woman who was taken too soon in such a senseless and brutal manner.
