A 37-year-old woman accused of pretending to be a 12-year-old in order to be taken in and adopted by different families has been arrested by authorities.
If you’ve ever seen the psychological thriller Orphan, the story may sound familiar — but in this case, investigators say there was no fictionalized killer plot. Instead, they allege a Brazilian woman repeatedly deceived people into believing she was more than 20 years younger than her real age.
Amanda Maria Souza de Oliveira was detained in Joinville, in the southern Brazilian state of Santa Catarina, on June 3. Police say the couple who had been caring for her contacted authorities after growing increasingly suspicious. Following her arrest, a judge ordered that she undergo a psychiatric evaluation.
Since then, investigators have connected Amanda to other alleged offences across at least seven additional states.
Authorities claim the Joinville couple had treated her as their adoptive daughter for more than a year, and that she offered repeated explanations for why she appeared unusually mature for the age she claimed to be.
Investigators allege she used false names, detailed stories of abuse, and childlike mannerisms to make her claims more believable. Among the accounts attributed to her is an allegation that her birth mother forced her to take hormones, which she said made her look older than a typical child.
Police believe the goal was to secure care and financial support from families, churches, and social services by gaining their trust.
Officers say similar incidents have been reported in Porto Alegre, Curitiba, Florianopolis, Chapeco, and Nova Iguacu, as well as in Minas Gerais, Goias, and Ceara — where she was reportedly born.
In one earlier account, a volunteer in Rio de Janeiro said Amanda contacted her via social media in 2023 and described severe alleged mistreatment by her biological parents.
She told local media: “She said her father had forced her into prostitution and that he was involved in witchcraft rituals. She claimed she escaped by hitchhiking.”
The volunteer said the claims prompted her and a friend to travel to Mage, in Rio de Janeiro state, where they met Amanda while she was staying with an elderly woman.
She said supporters then raised money to help relocate Amanda to Nova Iguacu, explaining: “We mobilized friends, rented a house and took care of her. She seemed like an obese autistic teenager and spoke like a child.”
Authorities allege Amanda sometimes claimed to be autistic and to have other health issues, while also leaning into childlike behavior — including using pacifiers, sleeping with a comfort blanket, speaking softly, and pretending to experience night terrors.
Investigators believe she carried out the same pattern at least seven times before later moving in with the family in Joinville.
Police say the Joinville household treated her as their daughter during the year she lived with them, and that they even organized a 12th birthday party after she joined their home.
Investigators also allege the family paid for her to take Mounjaro after she said she was dealing with obesity and other health complications linked to alleged abuse.
After about 14 months, however, a relative reportedly began to doubt her story and searched online for similar cases.
Authorities say Amanda had previously been detained in other incidents after suspicions were raised — including one case in 2024 where an X-ray reportedly revealed a large number of needles in her body.
He said she had more than 200 needles in her body.”
Police in Goiania later released X-ray images in 2024 that they claim show dozens of needles inside her body following another examination.
She was later convicted of false identity offences, but authorities say she did not serve the sentence.
On June 3, prosecutors requested her detention.
A judge then authorized a psychiatric evaluation to be conducted alongside the custody process, which officials said would help clarify key aspects of the situation.