The dismembered body of a 17-year-old British girl has been found in a suitcase in Brazil.

Police say Cara Marie Burke was murdered by an ex-boyfriend she had threatened to expose as a drug-dealer.

Her torso was found in a suitcase dumped on a riverbank on Monday, but her head, arms and legs were missing after being thrown into the water.

Cara Burke arrived in Brazil three months ago on a tourist visa. Ex-boyfriend Mohammed Carvalho dos Santos is said to have confessed to her killing

Miss Burke's body was reportedly identified by her mother, Ann, who was watching Brazilian TV from her home in Wandsworth, south London.

Police were said to be still searching for Miss Burke's head and limbs, which Santos said he hid in a rural area about 20 miles outside Goiania.

Miss Burke's brother, Michael Burke, told The Times she was due to return to London two weeks ago but was injured in a motorcycle crash on the way to the airport.

He said: 'My mum had paid for the ticket home and we were looking forward to having her back. She was a wonderful sister.'

She was a former pupil at Southfields Community School and reportedly played for the Chelsea FC ladies team.

Yesterday Brazilian police arrested her former boyfriend Mohammed Carvalho dos Santos, 20, on suspicion of murder.

He was born in Brazil, but police said his parents live in the UK, and that he had met Cara in Britain.

They say he quickly confessed to murdering her, and that he had taken pictures of her mutilated body on his mobile phone.

It was claimed last night that the killer's mobile contained an image of her decapitated head placed on top of her body in the style of an Al Qaeda video.

Accused: Mohamed D'Ali Carvalho Santos sits in the back of a police car after being arrested for his girlfriend's murder

Cara, from South London, is believed to have gone to Brazil with Carvalho three months ago.

They had shared a flat in Goiania, 120 miles from the capital Brasilia. According to friends, Cara loved Brazil and had been to the country twice before.

Lenita Alves de Brito, spokesman for Goiania's Policia Civil, said the couple recently split because she believed he was a drug dealer.

She moved in with friends, but for some reason she went back to the flat at the weekend.

Cara pictured with a young friend

The couple had an argument on Friday night. Cara threatened to tell Carvalho's parents he was a drug dealer addicted to cocaine, and said she was considering turning him in to police.

On Saturday Carvalho stabbed her to death with a kitchen knife in what police say was a 'premeditated' murder.

Then he dumped her body in a bath and went off to a party.

The following day he decapitated her and chopped off her limbs , and put her torso in the suitcase.

He dumped the case by a river and threw her legs and arms into the water.

A screen projection of a photo of Cara and Mohamed recovered by Goias state police from his mobile phone

Mrs Alves said: 'I can confirm that we arrested Mohammed Dali Carvalhodos Santos yesterday near the murder scene.

'He has already confessed to murdering Cara and decapitating her body.

'He has yet to show any remorse for what he has done. He has not cried or expressed regret of any kind.

'He has told us that he and Cara argued after she threatened to go to the police to accuse him of being a drugs trafficker.

'He has told us he murdered her on Saturday night, left her body in the bath and went to a party on Saturday night before decapitating her the following day.

Rescue workers search for body parts in the river near where Cara's body was found

'The murder was premeditated. He turned the music up on the stereo before the crime so neighbours wouldn't hear her screaming.

'He killed her with a single stab wound to the ribs, using a kitchen knife which we have recovered.

'Part of the evidence that will be used against him in the forthcoming court case will be pictures we found on his mobile phone that he took of Cara after he had cut up her body.

'We are currently searching the flat where the murder took place.

'We have found drugs, but I am not in a position to say how many drugs have been found or what type of drugs they are.

The 17-year-old's dismembered body was found in the Brazilian city of Goiania

'We will be handing Mohammed over to the Brazilian judiciary in the next few hours.

'It will up to them to fix a trial date, but I imagine it will take place quickly and in a maximum of 30 days.'

Last night Cara's mother Anna Marie was understood to be flying to Brazil.

The Foreign Office said in a statement: 'We can confirm the death of a British national in Goiania in Brazil.

'Next of kin have been informed and we are providing consular assistance to the family.'

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1040212/Decapitated-body-British-girl-17-hacked-pieces-suitcase-Brazil.html


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