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Adoption Gone Wrong: Couple Discovers Their 'Daughter' is Actually 37 Years Old
Couple's adoption nightmare as daughter they believed was 12 turns out to be grown woman
Image: Mirror
A couple's life turned upside down when they adopted a girl they believed to be 12, only to find out she was a 37-year-old woman named Amanda Maria Souza de Oliveira. After 14 months of deception, Amanda's true age was revealed following a relative's investigation, leading to her arrest for multiple similar frauds across Brazil.
- 01Amanda Maria Souza de Oliveira, 37, posed as a 12-year-old girl, deceiving families and social workers across Brazil.
- 02She claimed to have escaped from abusive situations, using fabricated stories to gain sympathy and financial support.
- 03Authorities discovered over 200 needles in her body, which raised suspicions about her true identity.
- 04Amanda has a history of similar incidents in at least seven Brazilian states, previously detained for comparable offenses.
- 05A judge ordered her preventive detention while a psychiatric evaluation is conducted to assess her mental health.
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A couple from Brazil faced a shocking revelation after adopting a girl they believed to be 12 years old, who turned out to be 37-year-old Amanda Maria Souza de Oliveira. Their emotional bond unraveled after 14 months when a relative's investigation uncovered Amanda's true age and a history of similar deceptions. Amanda approached various families, claiming to have escaped from abusive situations, while exhibiting childlike behavior and using pacifiers. After medical examinations revealed over 200 needles in her body, authorities arrested her in Joinville, Santa Catarina state. Investigators found that Amanda had previously been linked to similar incidents across at least seven Brazilian states, where she used fake identities and stories to gain sympathy. During a custody hearing, prosecutors requested her preventive detention, while her defense team sought a psychiatric evaluation. A judge granted both requests, and Amanda remains in custody at Joinville Women’s Prison pending further assessment.
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This case raises significant concerns about the vetting processes for adoptions and the psychological impact on families involved.
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