Marcelo Costa de Andrade, the “Vampire of Niterói”

Marcelo Costa de Andrade became known in Brazilian media as the “Vampire of Niterói” after his arrest in 1991. He confessed to killing numerous boys in the Greater Rio de Janeiro area. Contemporary reporting varies on the precise number attributed to him, and later articles sometimes repeat the highest claim without distinguishing it from cases police were able to confirm. The most reliable way to describe the case is therefore to separate his confessions from the established investigative record.

A concise timeline

1. 1991
   A series of killings is investigated

   Children disappear and are killed across the Greater Rio area.

2. Late 1991
   A surviving child helps identify a suspect

   Police focus on Marcelo Costa de Andrade and arrest him.

3. 1990s
   Confessions and forensic evaluation

   Authorities investigate multiple admissions while psychiatric assessments shape the legal response.

4. Following decades
   Security measure continues

   Andrade remains subject to psychiatric custody and periodic legal review.

A pattern of vulnerable victims

The victims were primarily poor boys and children living or spending time in public areas. Reports from the investigation described offers of money or assistance used to lure children away from crowded places. The social vulnerability of the victims is an essential part of the case, not a background detail.

How the investigation closed in

A child who survived an encounter with Andrade provided information that helped investigators identify him. His arrest connected a cluster of disappearances and killings that had previously been difficult to understand as a single series.

Confession does not equal a verified count

Andrade gave extensive confessions, but news reports over the years cited different totals—often thirteen, fourteen or fifteen. Some of those crimes were corroborated more strongly than others. This archive avoids presenting the largest number as a judicially proven fact.

Psychiatric custody and legal status

Andrade was found to require psychiatric security measures and spent decades in forensic psychiatric custody. That legal framework is different from an ordinary fixed prison sentence. Later litigation and public debate focused on whether long-term security measures could continue and on assessments of risk.

Why the nickname can distort the story

The “Vampire” label came from one of the most disturbing allegations associated with the case. It made the story memorable, but it can also turn a series of child murders into horror branding. The documented investigation and the lives of the victims deserve more attention than the nickname.