San Francisco Body Found Is That Of Missing 22-Year-Old Brazilian Man
The body of a missing Brazilian man has been found at San Francisco’s McCovey Cove, authorities say.
San Francisco police says the body that washed ashore at McCovey Cove last month is that of a Brazilian man who had gone missing in October, after leaving a terrifying last message for his family.
One night in October, 22-year-old Paolo Netto called his sister in Brazil asking her to call the police because he was being followed while walking in San Francisco’s Mission District.
Netto was not heard from since that day, but San Francisco police did not find him, however, they do believe he was robbed at some point since someone was discovered using his debit card later on.
San Francisco Police Department Officer Albie Esparza says the case is not yet classified as a murder investigation.
“The medical examiner has to determine whether or not they believe that there was foul play. If they do find the cause of death to be suspicious or foul in nature, then it will change our investigation into a homicide investigation.”
Netto, who had recently moved from Brazil to Los Angeles, came to San Francisco to look at Art Schools and on the night of October 28 called his family from the 500 block of Shotwell Street, according to phone records.
His body was found on November 9 and according to police it was badly discomposed, which made it very difficult to identify.
According to the San Francisco Medical Examiner the body seen floating in McCovey Cove, adjacent to AT&T Park, the home of the San Francisco Giants, was that of Netto.
His sister, Ana Rodrigues, told NBC Bay Area in November that her brother had called her just before he disappeared.
“He was saying, ‘Ana call the police I’m in trouble, people are following me,'” she said at the time. Police then traced those phone calls to the 500 block of Shotwell Street in the the San Francisco Mission District.
“Obviously, he was terrified,” Rodrigues added.
Esparza is urging anyone who may have seen Netto walking around on the night in question to call San Francisco police. Authorities are seeking at least one person of interest.
[Image courtesy of NBC Bay Area]
