Woman becomes police officer to catch father’s killer

A woman who became a police officer to catch her father’s killer admitted she couldn’t “hold back the tears” after confronting him. Gislayne Silva de Deus was nine when her father, Givaldo, was murdered over a $66 debt. Raimundo Gomes shot Givaldo in the head after an argument at a bar and fled.

Despite warrants for Gomes’s arrest, he remained elusive, and the case was shelved. Determined, Gislayne pursued a career in law, becoming a lawyer and then a police officer.

In 2023, she joined the homicide division to find her father’s murderer. The latest warrant for Gomes dated back to 2019. In September 2024, Gislayne and her team apprehended Gomes in Boa Vista, Roraima state, north Brazil. Gislayne, 36, posted a video of the arrest, telling Gomes, “It’s because of me that you are here, and you are now going to pay.”

Gomes was sentenced to 12 years in prison, a verdict given in his absence. Gislayne expressed relief and a sense of justice for her family, stating, “With his arrest, I washed my soul and that of my whole family. Today we have peace and the feeling that justice has been done.”

She described her emotional reaction on confronting Gomes, saying, “When I saw the man responsible for my dad’s death finally in handcuffs, I couldn’t hold back the tears. It was an explosion of feelings that turned into tears of relief.”

Paying tribute to her father, Gislayne remembered him as an “honest and hard-working man” who supported his daughters’ education. She shared, “He spent time helping us with homework and times tables. He was always very close to us and caring. Despite the difficult times after losing him, our mother taught us to follow the right path.”