A 23-year-old man who vanished after attending a New Year's Eve church service in Brazil has been found alive but disoriented in a wooded area five days later. Eduardo Mauricio da Silva went missing in Bertioga, a municipality in the state of São Paulo, on December 31.
According to Brazilian media reports, Eduardo asked a colleague to drop him off on a highway in the Sítio São João neighborhood shortly before midnight, claiming he was going to a friend's house. His last contact with family was a text message to his father at around 2am on January 1, asking him to call a car via an app. His father was asleep and only saw the message later that morning, realising his son was not at home.
Eduardo's father filed a missing person report at 5pm that day. While searching, the family obtained surveillance images showing Eduardo in a wooded area in the Caiubura neighbourhood. He was eventually located after a man contacted the family, saying he believed he had seen Eduardo.
His aunt, Dalva Rosa da Silva, 39, said: 'We received clues every day that passed [...] He was found by his own family and dear friends, who dedicated themselves all this time, went into the woods and didn't give up.' She described Eduardo as 'very weak, malnourished, and disoriented' when found in a remote forest on January 5.
The circumstances surrounding his disappearance remain unclear, but his aunt said he appears emotionally shaken. The Fire Department confirmed they were called but discovered Eduardo had already been found. He is now in hospital in Baixada Santista.
