37-year-old woman arrested in Santa Catarina after pretending to be a 12-year-old child
The Santa Catarina Court has ordered the preventive detention of a 37-year-old woman in the city of Joinville. She is accused of posing as a 12-year-old teenager for over a year. The case surprised local authorities due to the complexity of the farce and how long the lie lasted.
The woman, identified as Amanda, is being investigated for the crimes of fraud and false identity. According to the Civil Police, she managed to deceive a family and lived as an adopted daughter for about 14 months. Throughout this period, the people she lived with did not suspect her true age.
In addition to the arrest warrant, the Court ordered the suspect to undergo a mental sanity evaluation. The magistrates' goal is to understand if the woman has any psychological disorder that explains her behavior. Investigators are also seeking details on how she managed to maintain the farce without raising immediate suspicion.
The case began to be revealed after doubts arose regarding the documentation presented by the woman. According to the police, she used false names and invented stories to gain the trust of people and institutions. The family that took her in expressed shock upon discovering that the person they considered a child was, in fact, an adult.
Currently, Amanda remains in custody while the legal proceedings continue. The result of the mental sanity evaluation will be fundamental in defining the next steps of the trial and the possible sentence. The episode serves as a warning to authorities about the importance of strictly inspecting documents in foster care and adoption processes.