Who Was Larissa Brito? Brazilian Model Found Dead in Ex’s Car After Terrifying Final Message

Brazilian model Larissa Brito dos Santos, 25, was found dead inside her former boyfriend’s car in southern France on Sept. 21, days after she sent her mother a frightening message warning that her ex was at her home.

Brito’s body was discovered in France’s Var region. The 29-year-old former partner, identified by French and Brazilian media as Mathieu, was arrested after authorities found her body concealed inside the vehicle. Prosecutors are investigating her death as a homicide involving a former partner.

Who Was Larissa Brito?

Brito had been living in Nice for about three years and working as a model, according to her mother and Brazilian media reports.

Her family said she had previously been in a relationship with Mathieu, which ended after several months. Her mother, Liliane Brito Nogueira, has said her daughter later reported being pursued and threatened by her former partner, remain part of the family’s account rather than established findings in the criminal case.

Brito was also in a relationship with another man at the time of her death. According to her mother’s account to Folha, that man went to Brito’s apartment after the family became unable to reach her and encountered the former partner there.

Larissa Brito’s Final Message to Her Mother

On Sunday, Sept. 20, Brito reportedly told her mother that her former boyfriend was at her home. Her warning was summarized in reports as “He’s here.” Her mother was unable to reach her after that exchange.

Nogueira told Folha that she subsequently contacted the former boyfriend while trying to determine where her daughter was. She said he initially gave explanations about Brito’s phone and whereabouts, and that she was later blocked after saying she would contact authorities.

The family reported Brito missing as concerns about her whereabouts grew.

How Larissa Brito Was Found

On Monday, Sept. 21, authorities stopped the former partner’s vehicle during a routine inspection on the A8 near Brignoles, and found her body.

Prosecutor Damien Martinelli said the body showed knife injuries, while reports from the scene said it had been concealed in plastic coverings.

Investigators are examining what happened at Brito’s Nice apartment before her body was found. According to accounts cited by Brazilian media, the apartment appeared to have been cleaned, while Brito’s belongings were reportedly missing.

Ex-Boyfriend Charged as Investigation Continues

Mathieu has now moved from police custody into the French judicial process. He was formally charged with the murder of a former partner and placed in pretrial detention on Wednesday, Sept. 23, according to Baptiste Barles, communications official for the Aix-en-Provence Court of Appeal, as reported by Folha. He has denied the allegations.

An autopsy is expected on Sept. 28, according to Brito’s mother, who said the Brazilian consulate had given her that date. Brazil’s Foreign Ministry has said it is in contact with French authorities and Brito’s family while providing consular assistance.

The investigation is unfolding alongside efforts to bring her body back to Brazil. Her mother told Folha, “I need to bury my daughter.”