A 37-year-old woman was arrested after allegedly deceiving a family into adopting her by pretending to be a 12-year-old girl escaping abusive parents. 

The case was uncovered after police arrested the suspect at the family home in the Pirabeiraba district in the city of Joinville, Brazil, on June 2.

Police said the suspect, who had tried the same scam before, used the fake name 'Gabriele' and convinced the local family to take her in after claiming she had fled abuse in the northern state of Para.

According to investigators, the suspect first approached a church in Joinville and told a pastor she had escaped mistreatment.

Members of the religious community reportedly began helping her financially and found accommodation for her before the family eventually welcomed her into their home.

Police said the couple became emotionally attached to the suspect and treated her as their daughter for around 14 months.

Investigators said the 37-year-old claimed to suffer from autism and other medical conditions in order to explain her adult appearance.

She also allegedly told the family she had been forced to take hormones as a child after suffering abuse, which she claimed caused her older features.

According to detectives, the suspect adopted childish behaviour to maintain the deception, including using baby bottles, pacifiers and a comfort cloth to sleep.

Police also said she faked panic attacks during the night, spoke in a higher-pitched voice and acted emotionally dependent in order to gain attention and sympathy.

The family reportedly organised a 12th birthday party for the suspect and paid for obesity medication, while also considering formally adopting her.

Investigators said she repeatedly avoided conversations about official adoption procedures and never carried identification documents.

Detective Rodrigo Bueno Gusso said the suspect convinced the family not to send her to school by claiming her abusive father would discover where she was.

The fraud only came to light after a relative alerted police, leading to an investigation.

Authorities said the suspect confessed during questioning and was charged with fraud and false identity offences before being taken to Joinville Regional Prison.

Police added that she had previous records for similar scams in the states of Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Minas Gerais, Rio Grande do Sul and Goias.

This included a 2023 case in Nova Iguacu where she allegedly posed as a 12-year-old girl called 'Maria Eduarda' with local media claiming her real name was Amanda Maria Sousa Oliveira.

In that case, the suspect claimed to be autistic and said she had suffered abuse and witchcraft rituals, convincing a former city councillor and the head of a social project for vulnerable children to support her and even rent and furnish a home for her.

Police said she inserted up to 100 needles into her own body to support the story that she had been abused and the victim of satanic rituals. 

X-rays also revealed more than 100 needles inside her body.

Although she had been arrested in the 2023 case, she was released the following day after a court granted her provisional freedom under precautionary measures.

There are no records of a final sentence or trial verdict for her under the names mentioned.

Because she frequently moved between multiple states using different false identities, her past cases remained open or active at the time of her latest arrest, rather than having reached a final conviction.

As of right now, she remains in custody at the Joinville Regional Prison facing her current charges.