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Unsolved case · 2013

Death of Otávio Jordão da Silva

Also known as Otávio Jordão da Silva's death · Otávio Jordão da Silva death

UNSOLVED
Updated
Updated Jul 14, 2026
Otávio Jordão da SilvaOtávio Jordão da SilvaCredit: Via WikipediaEditorial useSource

The short answer

Death of Otávio Jordão da Silva in brief

A 20-year-old amateur football referee in Maranhão, Brazil, fatally stabbed a player who attacked him during a match on 30 June 2013; spectators, including the player's friends and family, then killed the referee by stoning, beheading, and quartering him.

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Key facts

Year
2013
Place
Pio XII, Maranhão, Brazil
Status
UNSOLVEDUnsolved
Victims
Otávio Jordão da Silva Cantanhede and Josemir dos Santos Abreu
Outcome
No conviction on file

The coverage index

Where to watch & listen

1 piece from 1 creator: ranked, with duplicates removed and short clips set aside.

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Soccer game ended in tragedy #horriblestory #ytshorts #crime #sad #tragicstory #football #subscribe

Video · YouTube · 2025

The creator's telling of the case, the strongest entry point on file.

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Casepin shortDeath of Otávio Jordão da Silva (Pio XII 2013)39 sec

The case file

What happened

On 30 June 2013, Otávio Jordão da Silva Cantanhede, a 20-year-old amateur football referee, was officiating an informal match in the town of Pio XII, Maranhão, Brazil. During the game, he sent off a player, Josemir dos Santos Abreu, 31, for a rules violation. Abreu refused to leave the field and confronted da Silva, ultimately throwing a punch at him. In response, da Silva drew a knife from his pocket and stabbed Abreu multiple times. Abreu died while being transported to the hospital.

News of Abreu's death spread quickly among the spectators, which included his friends and family members. A crowd invaded the pitch, stoned da Silva, and then killed him by decapitation and quartering. His head was subsequently placed on a stake on the field. A police chief, identified as Valter Costa, was quoted responding to the killing by stating that "one crime will never justify another."

Later accounts and eyewitness testimony have offered additional context on the nature of the match, describing it as an informal, unsanctioned pickup game rather than an organized amateur league fixture. According to this account, the teams involved did not have formal names, and da Silva had taken on the referee role informally because he had an injured foot and was not actively playing. The match took place in a rural neighborhood setting without official oversight from any sporting body.

Following the killing, one suspect was arrested in connection with da Silva's death. Police continued to search for at least two additional people believed to be involved, including a brother of Abreu, the player who was fatally stabbed.

A graphic video reportedly surfaced online shortly after the incident showing medical personnel in the process of reassembling da Silva's body. This footage circulated widely as part of broader reporting and public reaction to the case.

This case involves two distinct violent deaths on the same day at the same location: the killing of Josemir dos Santos Abreu by da Silva during the altercation on the field, and the subsequent killing of da Silva by the crowd of spectators.

2 dated entries · 2013

Timeline

  1. During an amateur football match in Pio XII, Maranhão, referee Otávio Jordão da Silva sent off player Josemir dos Santos Abreu; Abreu attacked da Silva, who stabbed him fatally in response.

  2. Abreu died en route to the hospital; spectators, including his friends and family, then stoned, beheaded, and quartered da Silva on the field, placing his head on a stake.

2 named in this file

People

Victims first. Every legal label is set from public records and court outcomes, not from the prose.

  • Josemir dos Santos Abreu

    VICTIM

    31-year-old player fatally stabbed by referee Otávio da Silva after an on-field altercation.[3]

  • Otávio Jordão da Silva Cantanhede

    VICTIM

    20-year-old amateur football referee killed by spectators after fatally stabbing a player during a match.[3]

3 cited

Sources

Coverage is not a source: every fact in this file rests on the records below.

  • 2 Press
  • 1 Encyclopedic
  1. Referee beheaded in Brazil after killing player

    PressThe Sydney Morning HeraldAccessed Jul 7, 2026

  2. Death of Otávio Jordão da Silva

    EncyclopedicWikipediaAccessed Jul 7, 2026

Trust

Record history

First published
Jul 7, 2026
Corrections
None

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