MISSING FOR FOUR MONTHS: TEEN COUSINS FOUND DEAD AFTER A NIGHTCLUB NIGHT

Two 18-year-old cousins who vanished without a trace in Brazil have been found dead after investigators uncovered disturbing surveillance footage from the night they disappeared.

Letycia Garcia Mendes and Sttela Dalva Melegari Almeida had been missing since April 21.

For four months, their families were left searching for answers.

Now, investigators believe the young women were murdered — and say a man seen entering a nightclub with them that night may have been responsible.

 THE LAST KNOWN IMAGES

Surveillance footage from Paranavaí, Paraná, reportedly captured Letycia and Sttela entering a nightclub with 39-year-old Clayton Antonio da Silva Cruz, who was allegedly using a false identity and calling himself “Davi.”

Investigators say the footage later showed an argument between the three.

According to police, the confrontation continued after they left the nightclub in Cruz’s vehicle at around 1:10 a.m.

Detectives believe the argument may have been connected to personal, financial and commercial disagreements.

 THE TIMELINE BECAME CRITICAL

Investigators believe the cousins were killed sometime between approximately 4 a.m. and 4:40 a.m. on the morning they disappeared.

Police allege that Cruz pulled out a firearm and ordered the women out of his vehicle.

One of the young women allegedly attempted to resist before being shot. Investigators believe the second cousin was also killed while attempting to escape.

The allegations have not been tested in court.

A BREAKTHROUGH FOUR MONTHS LATER

The case finally broke open after police arrested a suspected accomplice known by the nickname “Magrão.”

According to investigators, he allegedly confessed to helping Cruz bury the bodies.

He then led detectives to a rural area near Paraíso do Norte, where remains were discovered in a sugar-cane field on August 21.

Forensic identification was still pending, but authorities believe the remains are those of Letycia and Sttela.

 THE SUSPECT NEVER FACED TRIAL

Cruz had reportedly remained on the run since April.

Police eventually located him on August 21 while investigating an unrelated vehicle-robbery case.

Authorities say Cruz attempted to evade arrest by entering a home and taking a family hostage.

He was killed by police during the confrontation.

That means the man investigators believe was responsible for the cousins’ deaths will never face a courtroom to answer the allegations against him.

 FOUR MONTHS OF QUESTIONS

For the families of Letycia and Sttela, the discovery finally provides a devastating answer to one question:

Where did they go?

But many others remain.

Why were the cousins targeted?

What exactly happened inside the vehicle?

What role did the alleged accomplice play?

And what happened during the hours between their last appearance on surveillance footage and their deaths?

Investigators are continuing to examine those questions.

 A CASE THAT STARTED WITH TWO MISSING GIRLS

Two cousins went out for the night.

A camera captured them entering a nightclub.

Hours later, they disappeared.

For nearly four months, their families waited for them to come home.

Now, investigators believe that night ended in a double murder.

Letycia and Sttela were only 18.

Their remains have been found, but investigators are still working to establish the full truth behind their deaths.

The investigation remains ongoing, and allegations against the deceased suspect have not been adjudicated in court.