PJ identifies body after appeal to the public

The Polícia Judiciária (PJ), through the Criminal Investigation Department of Madeira, has already managed to identify the body found in Levada Nova dos Canhas after appealing to the public through a post on social media.

According to a statement released, the PJ (Judicial Police) states that “after the public disclosure of the tattoos and physical characteristics of an undocumented citizen, found dead in a levada (irrigation channel) in Madeira, it received various pieces of information from the civilian population, both Portuguese and others, as well as from the Romanian Embassy, ​​with whom it maintained constant contact, which allowed for correlation with information regarding the disappearance of a Romanian citizen in that country since March 2025.”

Following an exchange of information with international police structures, the PJ (Judicial Police) identified a 38-year-old man with the physical characteristics and tattoos disclosed on the police’s social media and in the media, which allowed them to identify the body that appeared in Levada Nova dos Canhas, in Ponta do Sol, on the island of Madeira, on July 4, 2025.

The investigation continued, with the PJ (Judicial Police) contacting relatives of the Romanian citizen, as well as Romanian authorities, with whom procedures were initiated to confirm the identity of the body through genetic comparison.

Later today, in an abandoned house located in a rural area near Levada Nova, in the Arco da Calheta area, about 1 km from where the body was found, his belongings and identification documents were located.

“The dissemination and appeal carried out by the PJ (Judicial Police) on its social networks on January 15th, whose reach and impact went beyond national borders, contributed decisively to the successful identification of the body, which will allow the family to claim the body and grieve,” it concludes.