Joana Cipriano - Introduction to the case.

[Admin]

Joana Isabel Cipriano Guerreiro (8) was an eight-year-old Portuguese girl who disappeared from the village of Figueira, near Portimão, in the Algarve, on 12 September 2004.  According to her mother, Leonor, she was sent to buy some groceries from the village store near her home at around 8pm.  She was witnessed by the store owner to buy a tin of tuna and some milk from the Ofelia store, and was last seen by a neighbour walking back near the village church, some 200 yards from her home.

Missing presumed murdered - Joana Isabel Cipriano Guerreiro disappeared on 12 September 2004.

At around 9.30pm, her uncle, João Cipriano, left the house to look for her and made for the store where he met Leonor's partner Leandro Silva and another person MM.  Silva and MM returned to the Cipriano family home and when it was confirmed to them that Joana was in fact missing they went out to look for her.

Between 10.30pm and 11.00pm the child's mother, Leonor Cipriano, joined her partner Leandro Silva and MM and only at that point in time did she go to store and asked the owner (NN) if Joana had been there since she was missing.

Leonor Cipriano didn't inform the police authorities about the missing child despite there being GNR officers on duty in Figueira as a popular fair called "Mussels Party" was taking place at the time.  It was the shop owner (NN) who made the call at around 12.44am on the 13 September, when she heard that Leonor hadn't yet done so.  It was as a result of this telephone call that Leonor ended up talking with GNR officers near the church in Figueira.  She told the officers that she hadn't telephoned them because she had no credit on her mobile phone.

Later at around 2.00am, Leonor was seen to buy cakes in a pastry shop in the village.

The next morning Leonor went to the GNR Station, in Portimão, accompanied by her partner, where they filed a missing person report. 

Joana never returned and, like the McCanns, her mother Leonor mounted a campaign to find her. Like them, she and her brother João became suspects.



Leonor Cipriano (left) and Kate McCann with posters of their missing children.

[Admin]

The prosecution claimed that Joana was killed because she saw her mother and João Cipriano, her mother's brother, having incestuous sex, in accordance with the testimony of the stepfather of Leandro Silva, the common-law husband of Leonor Cipriano.  Leonor Cipriano confessed to killing her daughter. Her uncle confessed to having beaten her up after which she stood "quiet on the floor". He said he cut his niece's body in small pieces, put her in a fridge box, then put her inside an old car that was taken to Spain to be crushed and burned. When he was asked if he had sexually abused his niece he said in the presence of his lawyer "I did not harm her, I only killed her".



Though Leonor Cipriano confessed to killing her daughter, it was only after nearly 48 hours of continuous interrogation, and she retracted her confession the next day, claiming she had been beaten. She had extensive bruising after the interrogation, which the police claimed came about when she threw herself down the stairs.  PJ Coordinator Gonçalo de Sousa Amaral, António Fernandes Nuno Cardoso and three other police officers were initially charged with offences ranging from falsification of police reports to torture.  It was claimed that  Amaral was not present at the time of the beating but was accused of covering up for his colleagues. Leonor Cipriano's former lawyer said that Leonor did not know who beat her up.



Following a criminal investigation and trial, it was determined that Joana had been murdered, though her body has never been found. Her mother Leonor Cipriano and uncle João Cipriano were jointly found guilty of her murder, the dismembering and disposal of her remains and sentenced to 16 years imprisonment.

Amaral and Cardoso were later convicted of falsely claiming that Leonor Cipriano had fallen down the stairs and sentenced to 18 months and 27 months imprisonment respectively.  Both sentences were suspended on the grounds that the officers had no previous criminal convictions. The other three officers were exonerated on the basis that Leonor could not identify them.

Leonor for her part was later convicted of perjury and sentenced to an additional 7 months imprisonment.

[Angelo222]

Thank you for introducing this case on its own board admin, I feel it us important to be able to discuss the various issues in the case on separate threads rather than have them all combined.

Like the Madeleine case I fear that the child is most probably dead since there have been nil sightings. I also think the theory that there is a serial abductor roaming the Algarve to be somewhat naive.

[sadie]

Thank you for introducing this case on its own board admin, I feel it us important to be able to discuss the various issues in the case on separate threads rather than have them all combined.

Like the Madeleine case I fear that the child is most probably dead since there have been nil sightings. I also think the theory that there is a serial abductor roaming the Algarve to be somewhat naive.

From numerous posts you have made, you have shown contempt for SY.

The facts are facts and SY were interested enough in the abductions and specific sughtings to come back to me.

Perhaps they are more prepared to be open minded than you ... and could also see the possible relevance of 7, in total, youngsters just vanishing at roughly 2 yearly intervals over a 16 year period.  Maybe they also had the ability to check PJ records to see if the son of an Elite had been (?)charged then released with just a warning.

Please remember the Geographical relevance of these abductions.  The Northern abductions, in the 1990's were in a small cluster no more than 32 miles across, and situated in Porto and just North of there.  There were 4 up there.

The Southern abductions including Rene Hasse were in an even smaller cluster, just 25 miles across in the SW Algarve.  There were 4 in that area




Not a single under 15 pre-pubescent stranger abduction in the whole of PT in that 16 year period.


Forget your strange alleigance to anything Amaral based and open your eyes, put your thinking cap on and consider very carefully what this run of abductions quite possibly means

You are not unintelligent Angelo ...... you can do better.

[Angelo222]

From numerous posts you have made, you have shown contempt for SY.

The facts are facts and SY were interested enough in the abductions and specific sightings to come back to me.

Perhaps they are more prepared to be open minded than you ... and could also see the possible relevance of 7, in total, youngsters just vanishing at roughly 2 yearly intervals over a 16 year period.  Maybe they also had the ability to check PJ records to see if the son of an Elite had been (?)charged then released with just a warning.

Please remember the Geographical relevance of these abductions.  The Northern abductions, in the 1990's were in a small cluster no more than 32 miles across, and situated in Porto and just North of there.  There were 4 up there.

The Southern abductions including Rene Hasse were in an even smaller cluster, just 25 miles across in the SW Algarve.  There were 4 in that area




Not a single under 15 pre-pubescent stranger abduction in the whole of PT in that 16 year period.


Forget your strange alleigance to anything Amaral based and open your eyes, put your thinking cap on and consider very carefully what this run of abductions quite possibly means

You are not unintelligent Angelo ...... you can do better.

I most certainly have contempt for a police force who have been instrumental in the imprisoned of innocent people.

Do you ever post nowadays without adding insults??

Are your theories so weak that you can no longer support them with facts and have to resort to abuse Sadie??  I suggest you read the latest admin warning on objectionable postings.

ps Your obsession with all things Amaral is again noted!