Lucinete Freitas, 55, a resident of the central Portuguese city of Amadora, has been missing for more than a week after last speaking to her family on the night of 5 December.
The Brazilian national, originally from from Aracoiaba in the interior of Ceará, Brazil, had been living in Amadora, where she worked as a childminder, and had been in Portugal for around seven months with the aim of settling permanently and later bringing her husband and 14-year-old son to join her, according to Brazilian media reports.
According to her husband, José Teodoro Júnior, the last contact took place at around 10.30pm on the 5 December (7.30pm in Brazil). During the conversation, Lucinete said she was travelling to the Algarve with a friend. “I spoke to my wife for the last time on Friday, the 5th. In Portugal it was already night-time. From then on, I have no idea what might have happened,” he said.
The following day, Saturday, Lucinete was due to view an apartment that the family was considering renting, as part of plans for her husband and son to move to Portugal in 2026. However, the estate agent handling the visit said that Lucinete failed to attend the appointment. From that point onwards, her husband was unable to reach her. “After that, I sent messages, she read them but didn’t reply. I called several times and she didn’t answer. That’s when I realised something was wrong,” he said.
According to the Metrópoles publication, it was Lucinete’s employer who reported her disappearance at a PSP police station, after she failed to turn up for work and was unable to answer calls or respond to messages.
José Teodoro insists there is nothing to suggest that the disappearance was voluntary. “Nothing in our conversations points to a voluntary disappearance,” he stressed, adding that he does not know the alleged friend with whom Lucinete said she would be travelling. “I don’t even know her name. That’s the great mystery, no one knows who this person is,” he said.
Married for 15 years, José Teodoro described his wife as “a well-groomed person who enjoys going out, taking photographs, very resilient, and extremely hardworking – a fair and honest person”. He also said he has contacted the Brazilian Embassy in Portugal and Brazil’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs to report the disappearance, but claims the process has been slow.
“It’s a very complex process, because this is a case abroad and I’m handling the procedures from Brazil. The Brazilian authorities have to contact the Portuguese authorities before any action can be taken,” he explained.
Source: Observador
