The Judicial Police (PJ) have found the body of a Vale de Lobo restauranteur missing since March in Loulé today, 2nd April, with strong indications of a violent death, and a suspect already remanded in custody.
Police officers located the man’s corpse in the Esteval area of Loulé - the 50-year-old man had been missing since 13th March, with much speculation over the nature of his disappearance..
Ricardo Claro’s disappearance prompted hundreds of shares across social media, alongside several search efforts. Following investigative enquiries, officers established indications that he may have been the victim of kidnapping and robbery at the hands of at least two culprits, one of whom is in police custody. Mr. Claro was a manager at the much-loved Well restaurant, located in Vale do Lobo.
The body was discovered on a vacant, overgrown plot of land and, according to the PJ, showing strong signs of a violent death believed to have occurred on the day he disappeared.
After a forensic examination of the scene, carried out with the support of the National Republican Guard (GNR), the body is to be transferred to the Institute of Legal Medicine for a post-mortem examination.
As part of the investigation, a 39-year-old suspect has been identified and remains in pre-trial detention. Sources close to the case feared that a second conspirator in Mr. Claro’s demise may have already fled to Brazil.
The inquiry continues under the direction of the Faro Department of Public Prosecution and Criminal Investigation, with the aim of clarifying all the circumstances surrounding the case.
Source: PJ
