Following suspicious death, property of Lusa athlete is sealed off.

Last night, police sealed off the apartment of Portuguesa player Rafael Silva, 20. He lived there with his girlfriend, Flávia Anay de Lima, 16. The young woman died after falling from the 15th floor of the building in Vila Carrão, in the eastern part of São Paulo. According to the Public Security Secretariat (SSP), the closure is to preserve evidence, should the property need to undergo another forensic examination.

Flávia died in the early hours of Sunday morning. The apartment where they both lived, on Rua Lutécia, was in disarray and there were bloodstains scattered throughout the place. Her parents stated that Rafael had previously assaulted the student, who appeared with bruises. They both say they do not believe the suicide hypothesis.

The case was initially registered as a suicide, but the police decided to investigate the death. Witnesses, including neighbors and building employees, have already been interviewed.

The manager of the bar where Rafael was on Saturday – the location where the couple's fight began – gave a statement. He said that the player had arrived alone and had not been drinking. The player reportedly stayed at the bar for half an hour until a parking attendant ran over to warn him that Flávia was destroying his car. She allegedly hit the car with a shoe and broke the rearview mirror. The fight continued in the apartment. According to the player's version, the young woman threw a speaker at his head. When Rafael threatened to leave, she allegedly threw herself off the bar.