Alex Buscemi
Police are investigating an incident where a woman attempted to pull off a real-life Weekend At Bernie’s.
The woman, who has been identified as 42-year-old Erika de Souza Vieira Nunes, wheeled the corpse of her alleged uncle into a bank in an attempt to secure a loan from him.
Nunes did her best to pretend the man was alive, propping up his head and attempting to forge his signature.
However, bank employees noticed the man’s dire condition and called for first responders.
Lead investigators have confirmed that the man had been dead for at least two hours before the incident, which occurred in Bangu, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on Tuesday, April 19.
Investigators have also confirmed that Nunes knew the man was dead when she rolled his wheelchair into the bank.
Footage shows a woman wheeling a corpse into a bank to make him “sign off” on a loan in her name
Image credits: @interessingworld
Screenshots of the clip show Nunes talking to the dead body, encouraging him to sign off on a loan valued at 17,000 Brazilian Reais or about $3,100 USD.
“Uncle, are you listening? You have to sign it. I can’t sign for you,” she says.
“I don’t think this is legal. He doesn’t look well. He’s very pale,” a bank employee says.
“He’s like that,” Nunes replies.
She also grips him by the neck to hold his head upright and moves his hand to imitate signing the document.
“Sign here and stop giving me a headache,” she says.
Bank employees called for an ambulance and police when they noticed the woman propping up the man’s head
Image credits: @interessingworld
It didn’t take long for bank employees to notice something seriously wrong with the situation. When paramedics arrived at the scene, they confirmed that 68-year-old Paulo Roberto Braga had died hours earlier. Investigators are still waiting on an autopsy to confirm the cause of death.
“She knew he was dead … he had been dead for at least two hours,” investigating officer Fábio Luiz told the news program Bom Dia Rio. “I have never come across a story like this in 22 years [as a policeman].”
The woman’s lawyer maintains her innocence
Ana Carla de Souza Correa, a lawyer representing Nunes, argues that the events of the incident have not been accurately portrayed.
Souza says Nunes was Braga’s niece and primary caretaker, adding that Braga was still alive when they arrived at the bank.
“The facts did not occur as has been narrated,” Souza told reporters. “The investigation is continuing to identify other family members and to find out if he was alive when the loan was arranged and when it dates from.”
Officials are still investigating whether the two are related and if Nunes was operating with any accomplices.
She faces charges of embezzlement and defamation of a corpse.
The internet was disturbed by the “sick” story
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