Case file
Murder of Joana Cipriano
Joana Isabel Cipriano Guerreiro, an eight-year-old Portuguese girl, disappeared on 12 August 2004 from Figueira, a village near Portimão in Portugal's Algarve region. She was last seen at around 8:00 pm after being sent to a local store to buy milk and a tin of tuna; a neighbour reported seeing her about 200 metres from her home as she returned. Her mother, Leonor Cipriano, launched a local campaign to find her, distributing posters around the neighbourhood. Joana's body has never been found, and there is no tangible physical evidence that she is dead.
The Polícia Judiciária (PJ), Portugal's criminal police, concluded that Joana had been killed by her mother and her uncle, João Cipriano. Prosecutors argued that the child was killed after she witnessed the two adults having sex. In October 2004 both confessed: Leonor said she had killed her daughter after nearly 48 hours of continuous interrogation, while João said he had assaulted the girl, cut her body into small pieces, and disposed of the remains in a nearby pigsty. Asked whether he had sexually abused Joana, João replied that he had not harmed her and had only killed her. Leonor withdrew her confession the following day.
Both Leonor and João Cipriano were convicted of murder and sentenced to sixteen years in prison. The case was reported as the first murder trial in Portuguese legal history to proceed without the discovery of a body. In 2019, Leonor was released from prison after serving five-sixths of her sentence.
Leonor's retraction was accompanied by allegations of mistreatment. She said she had been beaten during her interrogation and showed extensive bruising to her face and body; police attributed the injuries to Leonor throwing herself down a stairwell in an attempt to take her own life. Five officers were charged with offences including torture, with an indictment alleging that some had kicked her, struck her with a cardboard tube, placed a plastic bag over her head, and made her kneel on glass ashtrays. Three officers were acquitted of torture. Chief Inspector Gonçalo Amaral, who headed the regional PJ in Portimão, was not present during the alleged assault but was accused of covering up for colleagues; he was convicted in 2009 of falsifying documents in the case and received an eighteen-month suspended sentence. A second officer was also convicted of falsifying documents.
The case later drew comparison with the disappearance of Madeleine McCann, a British girl who went missing on 3 May 2007 from Praia da Luz, about eleven kilometres from Figueira. In both cases the mothers ran campaigns to find their daughters and the local PJ examined whether the mothers were involved; Amaral went on to lead the initial McCann investigation. Citing the parallels, Joana's family appealed in 2008 for police to examine whether the two disappearances were linked.
Key facts
- Victims
- Joana Cipriano
- Date
- 2004
- Location
- Figueira, near Portimão, Algarve, Portugal
- Case status
- solved
Case timeline
1996-05-31
Joana Isabel Cipriano Guerreiro is born.
2004-08-12
Joana, aged eight, is last seen returning from a local store in Figueira and disappears.
2004-10
Leonor Cipriano and João Cipriano confess to police; Leonor withdraws her confession the following day.
2008
Joana's family appeals for police to investigate a possible link between her disappearance and the Madeleine McCann case.
2009-05
Gonçalo Amaral is convicted of falsifying documents in the case and given an eighteen-month suspended sentence.
2019
Leonor Cipriano is released from prison after serving five-sixths of her sentence.
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People
Leonor Cipriano
CONVICTEDJoana's mother; convicted of murder and sentenced to sixteen years' imprisonment; released in 2019 after serving five-sixths of her sentence. She withdrew her confession and alleged she had been beaten during interrogation.
Paulo Pereira Cristóvão
ACQUITTEDPolice officer acquitted of torture in connection with Leonor Cipriano's interrogation.
António Nunes Cardoso
CONVICTEDPolice officer convicted of falsifying documents in the case and given a two-and-a-half-year suspended sentence.
Leonel Marques
ACQUITTEDPolice officer acquitted of torture in connection with Leonor Cipriano's interrogation.
Joana Cipriano
VICTIMEight-year-old girl who disappeared from Figueira on 12 August 2004; her body has never been found.
João Cipriano
CONVICTEDJoana's uncle; confessed in October 2004 and was convicted of murder and sentenced to sixteen years' imprisonment.
Paulo Marques Bom
ACQUITTEDPolice officer acquitted of torture in connection with Leonor Cipriano's interrogation.
Gonçalo Amaral
CONVICTEDChief Inspector who headed the regional Polícia Judiciária in Portimão and led the initial investigation; convicted in 2009 of falsifying documents in the case and given an eighteen-month suspended sentence.
Roles reflect public records and court outcomes at the time of writing — supporting citations are on file under Sources.
Places
Common questions
- What happened to the victim?
- Joana Cipriano, an eight-year-old girl, disappeared in Portugal's Algarve region in 2004; her mother and uncle were convicted of her murder despite the absence of a body.
- Where did the murder happen?
- Figueira, near Portimão, Algarve, Portugal.
- Who was convicted?
- Leonor Cipriano (Joana's mother; convicted of murder and sentenced to sixteen years' imprisonment; released in 2019 after serving five-sixths of her sentence. She withdrew her confession and alleged she had been beaten during interrogation.), António Nunes Cardoso (Police officer convicted of falsifying documents in the case and given a two-and-a-half-year suspended sentence.), João Cipriano (Joana's uncle; confessed in October 2004 and was convicted of murder and sentenced to sixteen years' imprisonment.), and Gonçalo Amaral (Chief Inspector who headed the regional Polícia Judiciária in Portimão and led the initial investigation; convicted in 2009 of falsifying documents in the case and given an eighteen-month suspended sentence.).
- What is the current status of the case?
- Status: solved. Last verified July 2026.
Related cases
View all cases
Sources
- ENCYCLOPEDICMurder of Joana CiprianoWikipedia · 2026-07-05
- PRESSThe detectives working as the world watchesThe Telegraph · 2026-07-05
- PRESSDisturbing similarities with MadeleineSky News · 2026-07-05
Record history
- First published
- JUL 06, 2026
- Last verified against sources
- JUL 06, 2026