Suspect of pretending to have leukemia in Goiás received R$ 12,000 in donations, says police

Chambermaid Débora Barros dos Santos, 26, suspected of having carried out a scam in Pirenópolis, in Goiás, received around R$ 12,000 in donations. The information was confirmed to CNN by Chief Tibério Cardoso, from the Civil Police, who stated that the amount could be higher.

The young woman is accused by coworkers of applying a scam by claiming to have leukemia and need money to pay for the treatment of the disease.

The case, reported by CNN in December, it is still under investigation by the Civil Police, which claims that more than 100 people were victims.

“Victims are being heard daily, about 15 people have already been heard. The steps continue until the conclusion of the records”, says the police.

In a statement, the Civil Police says that an investigation has been opened and Débora is considered a suspect. According to the police, she will still be heard. At the moment, investigations are being carried out in the hospitals to verify if she has been treated, since she did not present documents on the diagnosis of the disease.

THE CNN got in touch with Débora and had no response.

remember the case

In December, a group of employees at an inn in Pirenópolis filed a complaint with the police due to suspicions of a coup. The case was reported to CNN by receptionist Mateus Milagre, 25.

“We were very touched and very afraid of losing our colleague, so we made crowdfunding, raffles and donations for her. We got a lot of money together. She always sent a message to someone saying that she had to take an exam the next day and we’d ‘make do’ to raise money for her”, she says.

“During working hours, many times during our lunch break she would go to the bathroom and ‘bleed’ from her ear, nose and open the door asking for help. Everyone was desperate and trying to help,” she adds.

The receptionist claims that Débora did not allow anyone to accompany her to the hospital or medical appointments.

“She wouldn’t let anyone take her to the hospital, not even her boyfriend. She always wanted to go alone, both to appointments and labs. We had an end-of-year get-together, we made t-shirts and we put a special phrase and her name on it. Some close friends even got tattoos with her name on it,” she says.

According to Mateus, Débora’s friends began to suspect the situation and asked the maid for exams and certificates, who did not present the reports.

“Her boyfriend took her to the hospital where she said she was being treated, which is in another city. He went in search of evidence that she was undergoing treatment there. For he found no record of anything. There is no disease, she deceived us. We did everything to help,” she says.

THE CNN Chief Tibério Cardoso confirmed that the Pirenópolis Civil Police were contacted by a group of workers at the inn.

“They reported that a co-worker claimed that she had a serious illness and, later, she reported that it was leukemia, and that the treatment was very expensive. The entire staff was appreciative. She had been working there for five years and everyone was willing to collaborate financially with her”, says Cardoso.

“In the course of this ‘treatment’, she informed that she was accompanied by a friend. This friend always got in touch with her co-workers informing her about the ‘treatment’ she was being subjected to and relative values. As a result, people made these financial contributions to help pay for it”, he continues.

The delegate states that the collection was made from certain values. “She did this collection to pay for this treatment according to the alleged amount. Sometimes BRL 3,800, sometimes BRL 4,500, always a certain amount, ”he says.

“She used to return from these ‘treatments’ with sticking plasters all over her body, dressings in places where apparently she had received intravenous medication and, with that, she gained some privileges, such as missing [ao trabalho]. The staff did not immediately demand her medical certificate, ”she explains.

According to the delegate, the chambermaid claimed to perform the treatment at the Hospital Araújo Jorge, in Goiânia, a reference in the treatment of cancer in Goiás. CNN reached out to the hospital and did not hear back.

“The staff became suspicious and contacted the hospital. They tried to get the diagnosis and treatment she was undergoing and asked why the hospital was refusing to provide a medical certificate. The hospital management informed that the person they were requesting the medical certificate for had not undergone any type of treatment in that hospital”, says Cardoso.

The return from the hospital further aroused suspicions that it was a coup. According to the delegate, colleagues questioned Débora about the positioning of the hospital. “After that day, she never returned to her workplace. These people got together and decided to go to the police to find out these facts, ”she says.

Among co-workers, the feeling is one of indignation.

“Some people donated money without being able to, and it was all a lie. We learn that she fled the city. We reported it to the Civil Police and sought justice. There were more than 200 people deceived by her. We were shaken by this story, we suffered psychologically and financially”, says Mateus.