The Civil Police of the Federal District (PCDF) has charged five people with causing the fire at the Liberte-se Therapeutic Institute that left six dead and 12 injured. Three administrators and observers from the secret clinic will face charges of premeditated murder, attempted murder, unlawful imprisonment, ill-treatment and illegal practice of the profession.
Two of the officials, Douglas Costas de Oliveira Ramos, 34, and his wife Jocilan Lima de Souza, 37, have been in preventive detention since September.
Although PCDF did not confirm this information, the report found that the third official accused of the fire was Geraldo Ramos de Jesus Jr. (Featured image), 48 years old. He is considered a fugitive.
Geraldo is also a member of the Federal District Health Department (SES-DF). He holds the position of driver. According to the GDF transparency portal, he receives a total remuneration of 4,211.75.
Forensic medicine was unable to determine the cause of the fire at Liberte-se. However, according to the chief deputy of the 6th Police, Bruno Cunha, there is strong evidence that cigarettes and a lighter found at the scene could have had an influence on the appearance of the flames. The hypothesis that the fire started from an electrical short was ignored.
Investigators also concluded that the 21 patients were locked in the burned-out farmhouse. They were drugged at the time of the fire.
According to the delegate, the prisoners are treated irregularly by the monitors. “The psychiatrist in charge of their online consultation stated that the prescriptions had an expiration date of 30 days. So, for the first 30 days, they were taking the medication in a way that was supported by the report and prescription,” he said.
The representative revealed that “the rest of the time they stayed there, they were taking it irregularly, without a prescription to justify the treatment that the observers prescribed to them.”
The report attempted to contact the defense of the accused administrators, but did not receive any response until the close of this article. The space remains open.
Six dead and 12 wounded
- In the early hours of August 31, the Núcleo Rural Boqueirão unit of the Instituto Liberte-se, in Paranoa, caught fire.
- At that time, six people were killed and 12 others were injured. Darlie Fernandez de Carvalho, José Augusto, Lindbergh Nunes Pinho, Daniel Antunes, and João Pedro Santos were burned to death. Luiz Gustavo Ferrojim Kumca, 21, died three weeks later in hospital from smoke inhalation.
- The unit operated without a licence, according to the DF Legal Secretariat.
- The owner of the Free Therapy Institute, Douglas Costa Ramos, 33 years old, confirmed in a statement to PCDF that the only entry and exit door to the clinic was closed, due to previous thefts.
- Douglas also admitted that he did not have the necessary licenses to allow the Buquerao unit to operate.
Keep patients calm
In their testimony, clinic directors and monitors claimed that using sedatives on patients would be necessary to “remain calm.”
“They also tried to justify that the house was locked so that the inmates would not escape or to prevent theft in the area,” the police chief said.
The windows, protected by iron bars, prevented people from exiting via alternative routes.
Furthermore, the PCDF also identified that patients were subjected to sanctions, such as “neck throwing” and being prevented from contacting family members.
Cigarette lighter
Forensic medicine was unable to determine the causes of the fire. However, according to the representative, there is strong evidence that cigarettes and a lighter found at the scene may have caused the flames to appear. The hypothesis that the fire started from an electrical short was ignored.
The Defense Forces Civil Police charged five people with the fire, two managers of Farm 420, and one in charge of Farm 470, in addition to two observers. They will be charged with premeditated murder, attempted murder, unlawful imprisonment, ill-treatment, and illegal practice of their profession.
The rehabilitation clinic units remain closed. Two of the officials, Douglas Costas de Oliveira Ramos and his wife Joselan Lima de Souza, are in preventive detention. A third official is at large.
The treatment center did not have a license and was not licensed to operate by the Military Fire Department (CBMDF).
PCDF referred the investigation to the Public Ministry (MPDFT) last Friday (28/11).
Security flaws
Testimonies collected by the civil police reveal that the clinic was operating without any basic fire protection measures. Guests reported that there were no emergency exits, smoke detectors, surveillance systems, an evacuation plan, and even fire extinguishers.
Furthermore, there was no accessible equipment or minimal conditions to fight the fire, a scenario that, according to the police, directly contributed to the seriousness of the tragedy.