A missing boy, a truck driver, and a chilling mystery | Forensic Files

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case file [Music] our episodes deal with serious and often distressing incidents if you feel at
anytime you need support please contact your local crisis center for suggested phone numbers for confidential support
please see the show notes for this episode on your app or on our website today's episode deals with the crime
committed against the child that won't be suitable for all listeners the teixeira Mendonca family lived in the
north and portuguese town of lazada 40 kilometers east from the country's striking and sun-baked coastline
situated in the economically developed Porto district lazada is known for hosting championship motor racing events
on a circuit just outside of town it features remnants of its rich ancient history with heritage monuments and
sites including churches manors and courts dating back to the Middle Ages lazada maintains its strong agricultural
tradition with sprawling rural farm and Bush lands intersected by winding highways that lead to winland
municipalities the Texeira Mendonca family homes by patriarch manuel and his wife Philomena were well known and
regarded within the local community by the late 90s the couple had two children an 8 year old daughter named Karina and
a son 11 year old we Pedro born on January 28 1987 we Pedro was an affectionate and happy child who was the
life of the party a devoted animal lover he accumulated a menagerie at home adopting so many Canaries that he was
forced to give some to his grandparents he once brought a squirrel home and made
a treehouse for her though was left devastated when it escaped the next day when he wasn't caring for animals we
Pedro loved riding his bicycle skateboarding and helping with handiwork and electrical
projects at home a cane soccer player he dreamed of playing professionally when he grew up his life was full of jokes
until after with Philomena describing her son's life as contagious she admired his imagination a quality she observed
during his long bubble baths and when he attempted to use a fork as a makeshift -
television antenna Philomena worked at her father's driving school directly opposite the family home making it
convenient for her children to stop by if they needed to speak with her during office hours on Wednesday March 4 1998
shortly after 2:00 p.m. Philomena was busy working when Hui Pedro arrived he'd just finished the
lunch and had cycled over seeking permission to spend the rest of the afternoon taking a car ride with his
friend Afonso dish dish was the 22 year old truck driver who had become close with Filomena's family after obtaining
his driver's license from her school three years earlier his own family was burdened by financial struggles which
elicited a great deal of sympathy from Philomena she provided - with clothes and let him assist at the driving school
for extra money - soon befriended Filomena's children and she trusted him to drive hi Pedro and Corrine after
school most days we pedra was particularly enthusiastic about his new friend who seemed cool and exciting to
the 11 year old by virtue of being older despite their significant age difference
- was regarded as childish and immature which made him relatable - hi Pedro according to - the two were like
brothers yet not everyone in the Teixeira Mendonca household approved of their friendship
we perjurers father Manuel and his maternal grandfather Jose a were troubled by the 11-year age gap between
the two as well as Dash's habit of smoking cigarettes in boy Pedro's company Manuel expressed his concerns to
his wife on multiple occasions and although Philomena regarded darish as harmless she respected her husband's
grievances and started limiting the time we paid ruined - spent alone together therefore she denied her son's request
to go driving with - that afternoon Hooper Giroux was unhappy about his mother's decision but ultimately
accepted it Philomena reminded him that he had a tutoring lesson at 5:00 p.m. and suggested he play in the vacant
field behind her office in the meantime the large space was framed by dry grass trees and shrubs and contained a
circular dirt track occasionally used for horse racing although the field was surrounded by main roads cars didn't
usually access the area making it a popular place for children to play Hui perjur'd did as his mother told waving
goodbye as he happily pedaled off on his bike towards the field [Music] nearly four hours later as 6:00 p.m.
approached Philomena and Manuel received a phone call from Hui Purdue's tutor informing them that he had not turned up
for his five o'clock lesson this came as a surprise as he had never missed the tutoring session before the
eleven-year-old suffered from epilepsy that required daily medication and fear soon grew that he may have suffered an
attack if untreated a seizure could cause severe brain damage or worse a search party was quickly formed and
local residents were asked if they had seen the boy a neighbor revealed that at around 3 p.m. they adventure Pedro's
bicycle amongst the bushes in the vacant field behind Filomena's office his family contacted the National Public
Guard Portugal's military police who were responsible for civil law enforcement and a wide scale search was
initiated the police came to the streets of lazada with assistance from local firemen residents and specially trained
police dogs that failed to uncover any other sign of the young boy three local boys came forward to report that as they
were claimed football together in the vacant field earlier in the afternoon we Pedro arrived on his bike and joins them
at around 3 p.m. a black vehicle drove onto the racetrack and pulled up alongside Hui Pedro who chatted with the
male driver before gesturing to his friends that he wouldn't be playing with them he climbed into the car leaving his
bicycle behind the children identified the driver as 22 year old her Fonzo desh who they said
had been fixated on Hui pedra over the past a couple of weeks constantly asking where he was who he
was with and what his upcoming plans were Hui Pedro's youngest sister Corina also recall that earlier that year diya
SH had taken photographs of her and her brother something he'd never done before
several other witnesses also reported having seen Hui Pedro speaking to Afonso dear shed the field that afternoon - was
sighted driving a black Fiat Uno that belonged to his brother who confirmed he had blown - the vehicle - dish so he
could take it for its annual roadworthy test a mandatory practice in Portugal for vehicles over eight years old
however records revealed - didn't attend the scheduled inspection police quickly
located - Hoopa drew wasn't with him and he claimed to not to know where the missing boy was - was taken to the la
serda police station for further questioning where he denied giving weeper drew a
ride claiming he had only seen the boy for five minutes between 150 and 1:55 p.m. after this brief encounter
he drove alone to the nearby city of paços de ferreira located about 15 minutes west where he parked outside a
pharmacy he sat in the car for a while before walking around to town looking at the shop windows he then drove the short
distance to his girlfriend's home in the nearby town of freer manji arriving at 6:45 p.m.
there he received the phone call from his sister informing that weeper Dhruv was missing bleep a jurors distraught
grandfather josée was also at the police station awaiting news in a desperate bid to
locate his grandson he confronted desh and offered him anything he wanted to disclose we paid Roos whereabouts Dias
began to cry insisting he didn't know where the 11 year old was then all of a sudden he gave police anonymous warning
telling them we petrol could already be very far away and today should quote close the borders - was also accosted by
hue Pedras young cousin Joelle Andre who began telling officers about an encounter the two boys had with - the
previous day - warned him to shut up but Andre was undeterred explaining that - had invited
them to quote go to the prostitutes diya allegedly told the young boys to meet him at the field near the driving school
the following day where he would pick them up when March 4 arrived Andres mother wouldn't let him leave the
house so he missed the meeting a local firefighter named Maria was one of many who witnessed we Pedro get into a black
car at the field that afternoon when she visited the local police station to provide a report she ran into Afonso -
and recognized him as the car's driver and informed officers of her discovery this rattled - who confronted Maria at
the fire station following their encounter he was visibly worried and bombarded her with questions pertaining
to the ongoing investigation including whether she knew what his car looked like meanwhile we pay Dru's
disappearance had made of local news with reports describing him as 4 foot 11 inches tall weighing approximately 45
kilograms with short brown hair dark eyes and Sun tanned skin this description was
accompanied by a picture of him flashing a smile that revealed his distinctively
large front teeth a local sex worker named Al Cena recognized that the boy in the photograph and immediately contacted
authorities according to our Cena on the afternoon of March 4 she was working along the Strada NASA now 106 a highway
leading into the town of lush dosa 10 kilometers northwest of lozada a man in a black car had pulled up beside her
accompanied by a child she now believed had been Hui Pedro the men asked if al Cena was working and offered to pay her
2000 scooters to have sex with the boy whom he said was 14 years old the boy got out of the car that was obviously
distressed and started to cry al Cena led him into the woods but didn't initiate any physical contact
instead sympathizing with him and spending the next 15 minutes trying to calm him down the boy said the man was
his uncle who was forcing him to visit sex workers against his will al Cena asked if his mother knew to which the
boy replied no he continued to sob and Alcina gave him a hug promising he would be okay she walked the child back to the
car and watched as a drove away under the impression that the driver was heading to a brothel 500 metres away
despite multiple witness statements indicating otherwise the police were not convinced that Hui Pedro had been
abducted instead they treated his disappearance as a search and rescue case certain heerd either collapsed
somewhere or wandered off too far and gotten lost though that to Shara Mendonca family begged authorities to
act with urgency the district court was unable to Winterfell unless it was confirmed that an
abduction had taken place roughly 24 hours after we paid Roos disappearance several agents of the judicial police
finally arrived in lazada to assist in the ongoing search as the National Criminal Police Agency the judicial
police were responsible for investigating serious crimes such as homicides kidnappings organized crime
and terrorism over the following days the local neighborhoods wells rivers and outlying scrublands were searched
repeatedly missing person posters featuring a photograph of a smiling Reaper drew wearing a light grey t-shirt
were distributed in the case soon gained national media attention the young boy's
disappearance sparked an overwhelming sense of communal grief with many Portuguese news articles referring to
the missing child as our boy or our little boy Pedro the intense media coverage prompted an onslaught of calls
to the Teixeira Mendonca family people claimed to have Hui Pedro in their possession with some
callers demanding a ransom for his safe return one male caller claimed to be the
boy's kidnapper and demanded that Philomena undress in front of her window in order to get her son back a
clairvoyant informed the family about a vision they'd received to avoid Pedro's head in a river Philomena received the
most horrifying call in which a child repeatedly yelled Mumma into the receiver before the phone abruptly
disconnected she was certain the voice was her son's despite a judge ordering that the
family's phone calls be placed under surveillance none were traced police refused to
investigate them further saying they hadn't heard the calls themselves and didn't have the means of locating the
people responsible for making them the family suggests that possible methods which were dismissed by the police who
explained that those strategies were quote only in the movies the police also disregarded the multiple witness
accounts the placed we pair drew in the company of Afonso desh on the afternoon of his disappearance dish maintained his
version of events and promptly moved away from lazada with nothing else done to pursue him further as a suspect
although Philomena had a limited the time Deus spent with her son neighbours had since informed her that the two had
been meeting in secret prior to IPE Dru's disappearance Philomena had also noticed the shift in
Dash's demeanor he was reserved which at the time she had attributed to the fact
he was maturing and had recently gotten a girlfriend now she suspected he had been planning to harm her son for a
while and was withholding important information from investigators the Teixeira Mendonca family visited all
the key locations to search for clues but found no trace of a pair Drew and a month passed with no further
developments in the case in April 1998 Portuguese journalist nunu Ruggiero traveled to Disneyland in Paris
with his wife and children to write an article about the famous theme park for Portuguese women's magazine Carlos the
article was published along with several photographs documenting the Hazaras trip including one taken by a camera
positioned on a ride called Pinocchio's daring journey in the photo no news wife young son and daughter are
seated together in the front row of the Wrights carriage while nunu who has seated alone in the middle row holding a
camcorder behind him in the third and final row a little boy was seated next to an older man the boy whose face was
turned slightly to the left had tan skin brown hair and was dressed in a dark his
hip up jacket he was sitting next to a Caucasian man who appeared to be aged in his 40s with balding dark hair and was
wearing a red hooded jacket an observant Carter's radar noticed the boy looked remarkably like WePay drew upon seeing
the image for themselves Philomena and Manuel were certain it was their son the Portuguese police confiscated the
photograph for further analysis and sought CCTV footage taken during the ride but euro disney's video security
system hadn't been functioning on the day the photo was taken and too no footage existed the boarding man was
largely obscured by nunu and his camcorder making him difficult to identify there were conflicting reports
as to whether he was identified with some local sources claiming he was a bar owner or security guard from Portugal's
porter district of which lazada was situated but the lead didn't progress any further for the many Portuguese
people who believed the boy in the photo was indeed Hui Pedro the picture supported the theory that he
had been abducted and was still alive speculation arose that afonso dish had sold we paid read to traffickers who
quickly ferried him abroad a hypothesis seemingly bolstered by - warning police to close the borders members of the
Teixeira mendonça family set out overseas spending all of their money travelling
to various locations in search of wheat Pedro became no closer to finding him Philomena Teixeira later said it's hard
to remember that moment I saw the photograph and everything I felt I don't know who to blame but neither the
picture nor the other clues or steps taken in Paris came to anything [Music] the same month the Eurodisney photo was
published 1,300 kilometers northeast of lozada in the city of London the British
National Crime Squad initiated a large-scale covert inquiry called Operation Cathedral the inquiry aimed to
track down the elusive members of an online pedophile ring known as the Wonderland club who had distributed more
than 750,000 illicit images of children this investigation covered in episode 115 of case file led to the arrest of 29
year old Kent based computer technician and volunteer youth leader Gavin seekers amongst his large
collection of child exploitation material were images showing the abuse of a young boy labeled with the name
Billy following the completion of operation Cathedral in September 1998 the British National Crime Squad
sanitized the many of the images and compiled a database of victims faces for investigative agencies worldwide to use
in their efforts to identify locate and save the children featured in 2000 international authorities believed the
boy referred to as Billy in Wonderland's collection or a striking resemblance to
missing Portuguese boy we Pedro they contacted Philomena Teixeira and requested that she view the images
herself to see if a positive identification could be made as the images could only be viewed in Geneva
Switzerland a date was scheduled for Philomena and Manuel to visit in 2001 they were briefed about what to expect
prior to their arrival including details of the level of abuse featured in the content
upon saying the images of Billy Philomena confirmed that was indeed Hui Pedro although the content was
distressing it increased the couple's hope that their son was still alive as media reported on the positive
identification authorities feared it would spur hoipe Drew's abductors to murder him out of panic
Gavin Seger's sent his cohort fellow Wunderland member he and Bulldog were interrogated by Interpol but both denied
knowing who sent them the photos the poor quality of the images made it difficult for authorities to pinpoint
when or where they were taken and to their origin was not able to be determined Hui Pedro was one of only a
few children who were positively identified in the images shared within the Wunderland Club the other known
victims included six children from the United Kingdom seven from the United States one from Chile and another from
Argentina the investigation into who Pedro's disappearance slowed due to a lack of credible leads but the case hold
to the public's interest to such a degree that numerous sightings continued to be reported years after his abduction
none of which were definitively confirmed at one stage a Portuguese man named - Josie D'Amato Ashe was
approaching his release from prison for swindling when he announced that he knew the
whereabouts of the missing child he told authorities Hui pedra was taken to the city of visnu on the night of his
disappearance 165 kilometers southeast of Lozada and was later kept by the owner of a grocery store in England his
story was convincing and de Matos promised to retrieve the child upon his release as he was due to be paroled at
the time authorities were certain it wasn't just a ploy for the inmate to escape prison
sparing no expense the Texeira Mendonca family provided the marsh with an unlimited credit card cell phone into
Volvo s80 vehicle to facilitate the journey to bring we pay drew home the mottos kept in touch with the family
first heading to Spain before continuing onwards to England where he found hui Pedro's grandfather back in Portugal
stating hello I have in front of me the grandson of mr. Teixeira he is eating an
ice cream the call prompted an emotional response from the desperate family yet as the days passed there was no further
word from de Matos and suspicions grew authorities discovered that the Marta ash hadn't even left Portugal and that
his entire story was a scam he was ultimately convicted of fraud and served seven years in prison
who you pedras grandfather josée maintained his belief that Afonso dish was responsible for his grandson's
disappearance he had promised his daughter he would bring her son home no matter what spending all of his money
hiring private detectives and travelling to various countries tirelessly searching for clues in 2003 josée was
killed in a tractor accident his sudden death was another devastating blow to Philomena who credited her father is
giving her the strength to carry on josée was commended by the lazada community for his ongoing determination
and for ensuring the search efforts to find piper drew continued in that same year a major Portuguese pedophile ring
was exposed after nine survivors came forward to report being subjected to sexual abuse during their time at
state-run orphanages known as cars appear for houses of the pious members of the ring included doctors lawyers a
prominent television host an ambassador and other high-profile individuals during the investigation a former sex
worker claimed to have seen vapor drew at a boarding house in the Portuguese capital city of Lisbon and on a
videotape that was later given to Carlos silvano a significant member of the pedophile ring
Silvan who was a driver for the orphanages and his role within the group was to transport children from Casa baya
to the homes of abuses he later confessed to 639 charges relating to child abuse and procuring children for
others seven members were later tried six of whom were convicted of using the orphanages to rape a number of teenage
boys the trial sent shockwaves through the country but no definitive link between the pedophile ring and hoipe
drew was ever identified the alleged videotape featuring footage of the child was never found over the ensuing years
Hui Pedro's loved ones criticized the nation's bureaucracy over what they regarded as a sloppy and negligent
investigation Channel TV our journalist Donna Leal reported that authorities had
failed to speak to important witnesses or follow up leads that emerged during the early days of the case in addition
Philomena Teixeira had been sexually harassed by an inspector of the judicial police during the initial stages of the
investigation which resulted in her filing a complaint Cooper drew was particularly close to
his uncle and Godfather Carlos Teixeira whom he idolized in 2007 Carlos thanked the public for their
ongoing support and solidarity saying the family had employed all possible means in the search for clues including
resorting to the use of mediums and other spiritualists in Portugal and abroad they followed all instructions
given by these alternative guides including climbing mountains in the dark visiting isolated abandoned houses
undergoing hypnotism and participating in magic rituals but to no result at one stage Philomena spent the night in a
field after receiving word from her son's alleged captors that they were going to hand him over although she
believed it was yet another con her heart wouldn't let her miss the meeting as anticipated her hopes were dashed
when no one showed although the botched investigation was a source of pain and frustration for the family Carlos
Teixeira remarked I do not even feel entitled to say that I am harmed because my pain is so small compared to what
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April 2007 marked a nine years since we paid drew vanished on the 28th of that month Jerry and Kate McCann traveled
from their home in Leicestershire England to a family resort in the coastal Portuguese village of prior
deluge located in the Algarve region 620 kilometers south of la serda the area was particularly popular with British
tourists Jerry and Kate brought their three children two year old twins Sean and Emily and to their three-year-old
sister Madeline the McCann family were also joined by a group of friends and several of their young children the
group spent the next five days enjoying the resort's facilities Thursday May 3 2007 was the penultimate day of their
trip at 7 p.m. Cade and Jerry put the children to bed before going to meet their friends for
an 8:30 p.m. dinner the restaurant was located 82 metres from their ground-floor rental apartment every 30
minutes one of the adults would take the short walk back to the residential block
to check on their sleeping children at 10:00 p.m. Kate entered her apartment and looked
into her children's bedroom and to notice the window was open and Madeline was missing the authorities were
notified immediately and search parties quickly set out but no trace of metal and McCann has ever been found and the
circumstances of her disappearance remain a mystery rumors circulated that Madeline's case
was connected to the disappearance of Lupe drew for though it has been confirmed that Madeline was not featured
in any images or videos confiscated from the Wunderland Club given that Afonso Diaz job as a truck
driver required him to travel extensively around Portugal he was also considered a suspect in Madeline's case
Philomena told newspaper 24 orderers I immediately thought of my son even though the cases are different and I
thought of Madeline's parents the anguish they are suffering the Teixeira mendonça family sent them a cans a
letter but never received a reply as with hoipe Drew's case a number of investigative mistakes were made from
the outset of Madeline's disappearance but her abduction received far more attention resources media coverage and
funding this disparity caused the tensions between the McCanns and the Portuguese public with newspaper
headlines asking what about our missing children Phil a minute to share I told journalists that while she was glad the
police were taking great efforts to find Madeleine she felt it was unjust that the same efforts weren't being made to
recover missing Portuguese children she had been unaware that Portugal even had forensic police units until Madeline's
disappearance as their services had never been engaged in the search for her son Philomena
told television news reporters the McCanns have everything available to them even a helicopter I didn't have
that nine years ago I didn't have anything in an interview with Carter's magazine she said it is hard for me to
see all the means available for this case when perjury received and none of this I have the same right as Madeline's
parents I demand the same treatment for my son's case investigators promised me that my son's case is not forgotten they
work hard but have no means our government has not yet realized that this is a real problem and two that it
requires real measures such as a change of law and adequate means to investigate
Portuguese nationals believed that hoipe drew might have been found already if his case had been given the same amount
of due diligence as the McCain investigation the vice-president of the Algarve tourist board stated there is no doubt
that this case has a much higher profile because Madeleine is British and was on
holiday here and - this is causing resentment amongst the Portuguese child protection campaigners alleged that
corruption and complacency were rampant amongst Portuguese law enforcement which
allowed such kidnappings to continue the founder of international child advocacy
group innocence in danger stated that she had tried to set up an office in Portugal but eventually gave up because
the local authorities were reluctant about the idea at the time of Madeleine McCain's disappearance police were still
distributing a photograph of hui pedro at age 11 rather than taking advantage of age progression technology to show
what he might look like at age 20 Philomena insisted that police update her son's image to increase the
likelihood of him being identified but they refused in response several artists volunteered to create a
portrait of what we Pedro might look like at 20 years old with Philomena describing these illustrations as quote
the best gift of recent times On June 1 2007 Philomena attended an event for world Children's Day that ain't to raise
awareness for missing minors she told Cara's magazine she felt hi Pedro wasn't in Portugal adding it is hard for me to
imagine what he will be doing I have been in psychiatric treatment because I start thinking about what happened or
how he might be I always imagined that I will find him in a way that I can still
do something for him even if he is sick or fragile I will help him recover and we will still have a future Hui Pedro's
younger sister Corina who was now 18 years old still referred to her brother in the present tense and expressed her
below that he would return in 2009 new hopes were ignited when in the United States
kidnapping survivor Jaycee Lee Dugard was found to 18 years after she was abducted from a street
near her Californian home in 1991 covered in episode 33 of case file JC was held captive by a convicted sex
offender Phillip Garrido and his wife Nancy in their home for almost two decades before she was discovered and
rescued by law enforcement like hoipe drew JC was 11 years old at the time of her abduction her reappearance gave the
Texeira Mendonca family some encouragement about the ingenuity of investigators and fueled hope that hoipe
drew might still be found alive two years later a new police team based in Port au used witness statements taken
during the crucial hours after he perjures disappearance to reconstruct what likely happened to him in the 24
hours following as a result of these efforts on February 11 2011 Portugal's central department of
criminal investigation and prosecution indicted Afonso desh desh the longtime prime suspect in the now 13 year old
case was charged with aggravated abduction hikaru Sal Fernandez the lawyer for the Teixeira Mendonca family
lamented the very large delay the Public Prosecutor's Office had taken in issuing
the indictment but welcomed it as an opportunity of hope for Hui Pedro's parents Sal Fernandez said these efforts
should have been made in the original investigation quote during the 48 hours that followed the disappearance the
investigation failed to respect the basic procedures and to led to weeks months years going by with nothing being
done a preliminary hearing was held at los zetas district court to determine whether desh would be tried for the
young boys disappearance prosecutors maintained that on the afternoon of March 4 1998 dears drove
who paid you to visit sex workers before taking him to an unknown destination they noted that dia shall act an
adequate alibi between 2:00 p.m. and 2:00 6:45 p.m. that day although he claimed he had been walking around the
nearby city all afternoon he was unable to provide any specific locations prosecutors believed he knew what
happened to repay drew but refused to tell as it would implicate him in the abduction in response - declared himself
a victim claiming the allegations were quote without factual support and that Hawaii Pedro did not enter his vehicle
under such circumstances he questioned the central testimony of the prosecution's key witnesses including
WePay Drew's three friends who were present at the field on March 4 1998 as their statements were supplied over
three different periods ranging from 1998 to 2008 - argued that were inaccurate and
unreliable he asserted that Alcina the sex worker gave an inaccurate description of the boy she saw on that
afternoon initially saying his eyes were blue before changing her statement to say they were dark brown Dias also
highlighted that the prosecution had no physical evidence to prove who Pedro had
been in his car he claimed as far as high-paid rio is concerned the thing I want most in the world is that he
appears I never denied being with him but I never saw him again after we parted company that day and I haven't a
clue what happened to him despite his efforts to discredit the case against him Alphonso - was formally
accused of kidnapping and ordered to stand trial the purpose of the trial was not to determine exactly what happened
to a jury but to decide whether - was responsible for his disappearance the accused - continued to maintain his
innocence while refusing to clarify exactly what happened on the afternoon Pedro went missing
the trial began in the court of law Zara on November 17 2011 - who was now 34 years old requested to be excused from
attending on the grounds that prolonged absence from his job as a long-distance truck driver would result in economic
difficulties but his request was denied he also claimed to have cognitive difficulties that translated into an
inability to quote situate himself in time and space and to request it to undergo psychological testing but this
request was also denied due to the amount of publicity surrounding the case and the public's
hostility towards - the lazada municipal police closed the streets surrounding the courthouse and increased their
presence for the trial Philomena Teixeira testified detailing the moment she farewelled her son has he cycled
towards the field behind her workplace she referred to the accused as simply him describing - as a childish person
who at the age of 22 played on an equal footing with her 11 year old son and - consequently appeared harmless Hui Pedro
his cousin Joe l1j also took the stand the now adult Andre told the court that on the day of his cousin's disappearance
dears planned to take him and twe paid you to meet with sex workers despite the fact they were both children as Andre
missed the meeting he believed he may have avoided becoming a victim himself plagued with survivor's
guilt he thought he could have saved his cousin from being kidnapped had he been
there saying being - we might have had the strength to flee Alcina the sex worker who was approached by a man with
a young boy on March 4 1998 also appeared in court during her testimony she was shown a photograph of 11 year
old hoipe drew and said she was absolutely certain it was him she met that day when asked if the men who
accompanied the child was sitting in the dark Alsina stared at - for several seconds
before replying yes the defense pointed out that during the investigation Alcina never unequivocally
identified the driver of the car as Afonso - she conceded this was correct but explained the authorities had never
attempted to help her formally identify the man despite speaking with them on three separate occasions she was finally
able to do so in court as it was the first time since the event she had seen - face to face a former judiciary police
inspector who was involved in the investigation from its inception until 2001 told the court he believed who he
paid you may still be alive noting I have no evidence but that's my belief regarding Afonso - the former officer
remarked there were some things that did not fit right I could not materialise evidence that he was guilty or innocent
he contested our Cena's statement claiming that two days after he paid Rouge disappearance she said the man who
approached her drove a white car not a black one like dishes who eat perjurers uncle who accompanied the inspector to
speak with our Sina during the initial investigation rebutted this maintaining that she had described the black vehicle
the defense put forward a different timeline of events for the afternoon of Hui Pedro's disappearance claiming he
had met with - prior to riding his bike to visit his mother at her workplace they argued that the prosecution was
using - as a scapegoat and he was only being accused because of the animosity that had been brewing between their
client and Hui Pedro's father Manuel at the time of his son's disappearance they claimed Manuel was jealous of the
amount of time they're spent with his wife and son resulting in - and Philomena concealing their meetings from
him Manuel denied these allegations saying his main concern was only ever the age difference between dish and Hui
Pedro a group of judges presiding over the case along with several witnesses and
the Texeira Mendonca family traveled to key locations throughout lazada to reenact the circumstances leading to we
pay Dru's disappearance they went from the field behind the tashera's driving school to the lush Stosur sex work zone
which was allegedly where - had taken the boy and the last place he was seen Philomena chose to stay in the car with
her daughter as she had already visited the area to search for clues after our Sina provided her statement at the
outset of the investigation being there again so many years later brought her deep sorrow as she wondered what she
could have done to prevent her son's disappearance Manuel later told Carters magazine it
was difficult to relive that final day but he endured it because he believed it would help find the truth
the prosecution requested afonso - be imprisoned noting he had shown no sign of remorse and had behaved with total
indifference quote I ask for justice for the resolution of the case at the end of
this process is the hurt and anguish and not finding out what happened to Pedro we ask for justice and expect it to be
done On February 22 2012 in a result that surprised that many Afonso - was acquitted the panel of judges rejected
the testimonies from the prosecution's witnesses and accepted the defense's argument that Villa Manor was the last
person to have seen hui Pedro the decision was based on what was described as weaknesses in the evidence citing in
particular the quote lack of consistency in our Cena's testimony members of the public were outraged by the decision
with some who had gathered at the courthouse in anticipation of a guilty verdict shouting abuse at Afonso - as he
left the free man following his acquittal - told television station RTP one that he last saw we paid Roo on the
afternoon of March 4 1998 when he drove away from the field when the 11 year old
was riding his bike - who had since married and had a nine-year-old son said he now feared for
his family's safety he regretted the suffering they had endured but expressed relief at the court's decision quote
when I got home I said son it's proven that your father never had anything to do with it he stated he would continue
to believe that hui Pedro was still alive until it was proven otherwise the outcome of the trial had a devastating
impact on Philomena causing both her physical and emotional well-being to deteriorate significantly she struggled
to wait with her weight plummeting to 39 kilograms the Teixeira mendonça family made a submission to the Court of Appeal
arguing that the trial judges had relied on evidence that should have been forbidden specifically the testimony of
three inspectors who did little to investigate the case despite their lack of involvement the court had regarded
the officers as reliable and informed witnesses especially when it came to discrediting our cena's testimony the
family's lawyer Hikaru so Fernandez claimed to the inspectors uninformed statements poisoned and infected the
court's decision and that quote the judgement was not of the judges but of the three inspectors Saar Fernandez
called the ruling that Philomena was the last person to have seen her son unbelievable stating
well that does not make any sense why was hypo drew going to ask his mother to go out with Afonso when he had already
been with him one of the other driving school employees had also testified to seeing Pedro visit his mother at
approximately 2:15 p.m. on the day of his disappearance and overheard Philomena denying his request to meet
with desh Sal Fernandez called the courts finding unacceptable stating this case cannot stay with this
decision for the sake of our history we owe this to the memory of hoipe drew if he is dead or if he is alive and we owe
this to our cena an extraordinary woman who did not gain anything from it and told the truth
the Teixeira mendonça family continued to fight for a retrial with Manuel stating until we know what happened to
wipe her drew we will continue while Philomena once again called for justice to be done
the acquittal was condemned by the court of appeal and a retrial was scheduled for 2014 although this news was
favorable Philomena questioned whether she had the strength to continue with more legal ordeals as the retrial
approached Manuel explained after learning that the case was going to retrial my wife managed to recover a
little and Danelle weighs 47 kilograms but as she approached the trial she stopped eating again and became more
fragile the doctors feared that she would become very thin again Philomena was overwhelmed with anxiety and to
required hospitalization to be fed through a tube when concerns arose whether she would be
able to testify Manuel told the media she has to do it and she will because he is very
important to her the retrial commenced at the appellate court of Porto Philomena was one of the
first witnesses to testify before a new panel of judges and once again publicly relived the last time she saw her son
after both sides had presented their cases for the second time the judges considered the evidence and reached a
conclusion they accepted Afonso - had indeed taken Hui Pedro from the field to visit our Sina for his attempt to make
the eleven-year-old engage with sex workers deist was found guilty for corruption of a minor the judges
concluded adesh was the last person in Hui Pedro's company before he vanished however they believed there wasn't
enough evidence to prove he was responsible for the disappearance itself and he was not convicted of the boy's
abduction on March 4 2013 15 years to the day after hoipe Dru's disappearance - was sentenced to three years and six
months in prison hikaru say Fernandez the Teixeira mendonça family's lawyer remarked for me
this is a very important day very important for Philomena and for Manuel but it is above all a very important day
for Hui Peru because Hui Pedro may be alive and we will continue the search for him and if he is not alive his
memory deserves that we carry on until we know what happened to him it is the first victory but not the last
the last victory will be when we know what happened to him philomena praised the court's decision
calling it a glimmer of hope and a little light at the end of the tunnel on march 18 2015 after exhausting all
possible avenues of Appeal Dias began his prison sentence in the northern Portuguese city of gimr rush two years
later in late March 2017 he was paroled for good behavior after serving just two-thirds of his sentence his early
release came as a disappointment to fill a mentor who was overcome by emotional and physical exhaustion when she heard
the news she later described her reaction to reporters from flash magazine stating I feel such a great
revulsion I am sorry to live in a country where people and institutions are not what they should be I think
there is more and more injustice each anniversary of her son's disappearance was extremely painful for Philomena as
it felt like he had only vanished yesterday she often dreamt of him playing happily with his sister and
imagined the man he would have become Philomena felt Hui Pedro would still be constantly smiling as he did when he was
a boy saying I am hopeful that he is a tall man with a strong structure I can only imagine the hug I am going to give
him Afonso - maintained his innocence insisting that he served time for a crime he didn't commit he told a
journalist from national daily newspaper Journal de noticias that he was truly a
free man because he never wrote anything to anyone in an interview with a popular
Portuguese news program he said the warning he gave police to close the borders shortly after Hawaii
Pedro went missing was sarcastic quote his granddad thought I threw the kid onto the back of a truck so I told him
hey if you think that's so strongly then just closed the damn borders he can't be
that far in the same interview he referred to our Cena as a [ __ ] and a [ __ ] multiple times prompting the
interviewer to interject when the 16th anniversary of Hui Pedro's disappearance approached filmmaker Claudia Clemente
she used social media to spread awareness about the unsolved case fearing the conviction of Afonso - might
have misled the Portuguese people into thinking the investigation was over with the help of a team of audio-visual and
communications professionals she created a 90-second online video campaign in which two presenters
reminisce about a range of special occasions typically spent with family stating those were years filled with the
news surprises and a laughter they then posed the question do you remember these
last years with your son the screen fades to black before Philomena Teixeira appears and remarks whilst the blinking
back tears I don't today my son Pedro turns 27 I haven't seen him since he was 11 I'll
never give up looking for him according to the campaign by 2014 more than 3 million children had been abducted
around the world for sexual exploitation the video concludes with the following request if you have any information that
may help us locate Hoopa drew please let us know it is never too late to help it was Filomena's son who disappeared
but it could have been yours by 2017 Philomena had retired due to disability and kept busy by taking care
of her daughter exploring various therapies and continuing to search for her son she kept Hui Pedro's bedroom
exactly as he had left it in 1998 complete with his space themed quilt cover neat display of toy cars and
action figures video game console and a poster of American actress Sandra Bullock hanging behind the door the only
things Philomena added were some images of saints illuminated by lamps a crucifix and a Bible saying I'm waiting
for him to come back to tell us what he wants to change that year on the 19th anniversary of her son's disappearance
Philomena posted an appeal on Facebook imploring the public to continue looking for him she said that while her family
had adapted to their new reality the tragedy had caused her to become isolated and uncertain of who to trust
she wrote Hui Pedro you know deep down I still believe in miracles otherwise I would not be alive and I wait for you
with open arms for a tired hug do not forget please promise me you will not forget him and if anything happens
to me keep fighting to know what happened to him that's all I have left this despair of longing that only those
who were mothers feel please do not forget it never give up in 2018 a video of a homeless Portuguese
man circulating on social media caught the attention of national news outlets the bearded man was lean with tanned
skin had too dark hair and eyes and tube or other striking similarities to we Pedro he said his name was Pedro and
that he was 30 years old which roughly matched the age who Pedro would have been at the time however he was born and
raised in Almada a city located in southern Portugal approximately 350 kilometres south of la
serda the video was shared thousands of times and sent to the Teixeira mendonça family Manuel noted the men in the
footage shared some physical characteristics to his son including large front teeth but also noticed
obvious differences such as the shape of his ears the video was sent to the authorities
for further analysis and the judicial police managed to identify the individual it was not who I paid you but
a man called Pedro de bello in January 2019 Filomena was interviewed by Portuguese
television host Cristina Ferreira during which she discussed how the search for her son had sent her into the dark world
of pedophilia she said she had cried so much that she had no more tears left but
made it clear that she did not mourn for her son as she believed he was alive in
response to her doctor's recommendation to place a memorial stone in Hawaii Pedro's bedroom Philomena said you want
me to put a grave in my son's room my son is missing not that many continued to suspect that
Afonso dish was involved in hoipe Dru's disappearance with the general belief being that he took the child to sex
workers to lose his virginity in preparation for selling him to a pedophile ring there is evidence to
prove the Wunderland club had roots in Portugal with at least one member living in the country at the time the group was
exposed Philomena believes dish may have been a victim of blackmail who was forced to play a role in her son's
disappearance but remained silent out of fear that Teixeira Mendonca family and the Portuguese public remained hopeful
that - will one day break his silence and reveal the truth with Manuel urging him to imagine what it would be like to
live without his own child for so many years on Hui Pedro's thirty second - birthday Philomena wrote a message that
read son I remember you in a mixture of emotions joy and sadness joy because I had you and you were part of me sadness
because they took you and I did not have the opportunity to see you grow from the
age of eleven on this day I hope you will remember how much you have made me happy I do not want to think I will
never see you again today is your day January 28 2019 V await your arrival kiss and hug mother
[Music] you

Case 132: Rui Pedro Teixeira Mendonça

On Wednesday, March 4 1998, shortly after 2:00 pm, 11-year-old Rui Pedro asked his mother Filomena if he could spend the rest of the afternoon taking a car ride with his friend, Afonso Dias...

CREDITS

Narration – Anonymous Host Research and writing – Milly Raso, Erin Munro, and Elsha McGill Creative direction – Milly Raso Production, scoring – Mike Migas and Andrew Joslyn

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RESOURCES

For all credits and sources please visit https://casefilepodcast.com/case-132-rui-pedro-teixeira-mendonca

Brief Summary

The episode covers the 1998 disappearance of Hui Pedro Teixeira Mendonca and the ongoing search for justice by his family.

Key points

The Importance of Sleep. Finding time for sleep during the holidays is crucial for better days ahead.
The Disappearance of Hui Pedro. Hui Pedro, an 11-year-old boy, goes missing, sparking a widespread search.
A Distressing Identification. Philomena identifies her son in distressing images, raising hope he is still alive.
The Disappearance of Hui Pedro. Hui Pedro's case remains unsolved, with many leads turning out to be false.
A Shocking Scam. A man claimed to know Hui Pedro's whereabouts, only to be revealed as a fraud.
The McCann Comparison. Philomena Teixeira highlights the disparity in media attention between her son and Madeleine McCann.

Episode highlights

Episode quotes

He was the life of the party, a devoted animal lover.

3:16WatchNov 30, 2019

Tension

75/ 100High tension

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