Brazilian Model Found Stabbed to Death in Ex's Car After She Told Mom He Was at Her House

Brazilian model Larissa Brito (25) was found dead with stab wounds in a vehicle driven by her former partner near Brignoles, France, on 21 September.

Her mother said Brito had sent a message from Nice the previous day saying, 'Mathieu is here.' French authorities later placed the 29-year-old former partner, identified in reports as Mathieu, under formal investigation for 'murder by an ex-partner.'

He was remanded in custody on 23 September and contests the allegation. The judicial investigation remains ongoing, and he is presumed innocent unless convicted.

Customs officers discovered Brito's body during a vehicle check at the Cambarette Nord rest area on the A8 motorway. The site is near Brignoles in the Var department of southeastern France. Officials said the body had been concealed inside the vehicle beneath bags or clothing.

Initial examinations found traumatic injuries and wounds caused by a sharp weapon. The precise cause and timing of Brito's death have not been publicly established. An autopsy has been ordered as investigators continue reconstructing her final movements.

Nice prosecutor Damien Martinelli said early evidence suggested the events occurred in Nice before the vehicle left the city. Authorities have not released a full account of what happened inside Brito's home.

Larissa Brito's Final Message to Her Mother

Brito's mother, Liliane Brito Nogueira, said she last heard directly from her daughter on Sunday, 20 September. According to Nogueira, Brito's final message read, 'Mathieu is here.' Brito then stopped answering calls and messages.

Nogueira said she telephoned Mathieu after becoming worried about her daughter. She said he told her Brito was sleeping. Nogueira also alleged that he blocked her number after she threatened to contact authorities in Brazil and France.

The following day, Nogueira reported her daughter missing at a police station in São Paulo. A man in Nice also reported Brito missing to local police, according to information the prosecutor released.

That man said he went to Brito's home and saw another man leaving with belongings. Investigators later found that the property appeared to have been recently cleaned, according to the Nice prosecutor.

Authorities have not publicly established who cleaned the property or why. Those details remain part of the continuing judicial investigation.

Nogueira said Brito's relationship with Mathieu lasted about five months. She also alleged that he harassed and threatened her daughter after the relationship ended. Those claims come from Brito's mother and have not been established by a court.

Larissa Brito Case Moves Into Judicial Investigation

The case entered a new judicial phase on 23 September. French authorities formally placed Brito's former partner under investigation on suspicion of 'murder by an ex-partner.' A judge then ordered that he remain in pre-trial detention.

The man contests the allegation, according to French reporting based on the Nice prosecutor's office. No court has found him guilty of causing Brito's death.

Investigators are continuing to examine Brito's final movements, evidence from her home and the circumstances surrounding the vehicle's journey from Nice. The pending autopsy is expected to help establish the precise cause and timing of her death.

Brito was from São Paulo and had been living in France for about three years, according to her mother. She worked as a model and was living in the Nice area before her death.

Her family is seeking to return her body to Brazil after the required forensic procedures are completed. Brazil's Foreign Ministry said its Consulate-General in Marseille is following the case and assisting the family.

For now, the official record remains narrower than some early reports suggested. Brito was found dead with injuries including stab wounds, but the definitive cause of death remains subject to forensic examination.

Investigators are still working to establish what happened after Brito's final message, what occurred inside her home and what the autopsy reveals.