The body of 26-year-old YouTuber Carlos Henrique Medeiros was exhumed from his childhood friends’ garden on December 26th. Medeiros is believed to have died on Christmas Day. The couple, in whose backyard the body was located, cited an unusual cause of death: cocaine-fuelled sex with a teenage girl.
Medeiros had initially planned to spend Christmas evening with his sister, Catia. For whatever reason, he instead visited the home of Renan José and his pregnant wife, Caroline Mello, in Itapecerica da Serra.
When Medeiros failed to reappear from the house, his family started searching for him.
Tip-offs led them to a newly appeared dirt pile on José and Mello’s property. Digging soon revealed Medeiros’ muddied t-shirt. Firefighters recovered his full body from its shallow grave.
José and Mello handed themselves over to the authorities on December 31st.
‘The couple’s version is this: They buried him because they didn’t know what to do with the body,’ Police Chief Luís Roberto Faria Hellmeister informed reporters.
They allege that Medeiros suffered a cocaine-induced heart attack, during festive sexual intercourse with Mello’s underage sister. He fell dead in the bathroom, mid-orgasm. Panicked, the couple frantically dug Medeiros’ body into the backyard.
José and Mello are currently detained under month-long, pre-trial police custody. They face charges of homicide and concealment of a corpse.
Medeiros’ body shows no external signs of abuse. Toxicological and necroscopic reports are underway, seeking to determine the exact cause of death and whether cocaine was, indeed, present in his system.
Brazil has one of the world’s largest cocaine markets. The country borders Bolivia, Peru and Columbia – all major global suppliers of the illegal stimulant. A 2019 study presents vessel damages/ruptures, coronary spasms, increased heart rate and imbalanced oxygen circulation as just some of the ‘acute effects of cocaine on the heart.’
José and Mello’s story is heavily disputed. The couple initially posted a plea for public assistance in finding Medeiros, on social media, claiming that Medeiros had left their home after dinner.
Following Medeiros’ exhumation, neighbors set the couple’s house aflame. Cristiane Medeiros, the victim’s sister, has queried why – if the current allegations are true – José and Mello did not find medical aid.
Mello’s anonymous 17-year-old sister will be asked to provide testimony on the incident.
“Everything indicates that it was a consensual relationship. It wasn’t abuse. I have to actually know what happened there. Today, it is difficult to listen to minors. Despite this, I will listen to her because she was the last person who had contact with the victim,” Mr Hellmeister told TNP.
Medeiros had 1.7 million subscribers on YouTube and 88.5k followers on Instagram, filming comic skits, vlogs and challenges. He took a hiatus from social media in July 2023 after his father’s death.
The internet personality commented on his most recent Instagram post, ‘Missing the best dad in the world […] one day we will be together I just hope it won’t be long.’
