Brazilian influencer Carlos Medeiros has been found dead after he disappeared on Christmas day.
The 26-year-old YouTuber was last seen by family at a fireworks show on December 25 before going to visit his friend’s house for a late holiday dinner in the São Paulo city of Itapecerica da Serra.
His lifeless body was discovered on New Year’s Eve in a shallow grave at the property.
The man who owns the home, 28, and his wife, 24, turned themselves into police on Monday and were placed in pre-trial detention for one month, Brazilian news outlet G1 reported.
They reportedly told the Civil Police that Medeiros, who had close to two million subscribers on his YouTube channel, took cocaine and then had a heart attack.
The defendants claimed they buried Medeiros by the side of their home instead of calling for an ambulance because they were scared.
The couple had initially lied and said Medeiros left their home after dinner, before later confessing a different story.
They had also made social media posts asking the public for help finding Medeiros.
The influencer’s family and neighborhood residents spent the week searching for Medeiros in area hospitals and the woods.
During a search of the home, a resident noticed that the dirt nearby had been shoveled and found the clothes Medeiros was last seen wearing inside the residence. Firefighters were later able to remove his body from the pit.
According to a police report, Medeiros’ body did not display signs of violence.
The house was set on fire by neighbors, but no arrests have been made.
Civil Police chief Luis Faria told G1 that the incident is being investigated as a homicide committed by an unknown perpetrator.
He added that investigators will be looking into whether Medeiros was killed or if his death was caused by a drug overdose.
Police were investigating a claim that Medeiros allegedly had sex with his friend’s teenage sister and that their father had gone to the home to pick her up. Both are being sought for questioning.
Faria said they are waiting on results of a pending autopsy.
‘If the report shows that his death was accidental, the couple will be charged with the crime of concealing a corpse,’ he said. ‘If it is proven that he was murdered, the man and the woman will be charged with homicide.’
