The shooting victims were found in a sugarcane field along a road between Taquara and Pitimbu in the state of Paraiba. Police say that they had each been shot several times. A Finnish credit card and a small amount of local currency were also found at the scene of the crime.
The victims were between 60 and 70 years of age. The couple were retired doctors from Savonlinna in eastern Finland who owned a house in the area, and their friend was a visiting nurse.
According to the Brazilian G1 website last weekend, police questioned five people including one man who was employed to look after the Finnish couple’s home. The report said some traces of blood were also discovered in the house. Local police are treating the case as a triple homicide, the report added.
Responsibility for investigating the crime rests with the Brazilian police. The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) says it is helping their Brazilian colleagues with background data on the victims with the aim of establishing a motive for the crime.
The Finnish Ambassador in Brazil, Jari Luoto, described the area of the country where the couple resided as "dangerous and restless." An estimated 600 Finns live permanently in Brazil.
On the web :
G1 report in Portuguese (siirryt toiseen palveluun)
Lähteet: YLE