Vigilante justice surged in a Brazilian community recently after a missing 9-year-old girl was found buried in a hiding place underneath the floor of a local store.

Marco Jacob, 61, died after the incident, which began when a family in the city of Tramandaí reported their daughter missing, according to the U.K. Daily Mail.

The girl had gone to a nearby group of stores, with her family’s permission, but did not return.

Surveillance video showed the girl entering the convenience store Jacob operated.

Her father put the police onto Jacob after saying he thought the man behaved oddly, and also had a scratch on his nose.

Rio Grande do Sul Military Police and Civil Police responded, conducting an aggressive search in which they forcibly removed crates that were covering a trap door that led to a hole where the girl was found.

Cell phone video indicated the girl called out “I was abused” after she was rescued as the neighbors who had been searching for the girl turned on Jacob, wrestling him away from police.

Amid vigilante justice being meted out to Jacob, neighbors destroyed Jacob’s car and shop, according to The Sun.

In time, police used rubber bullets, tear gas, and pepper spray to make the mob attacking Jacob back off. By then, he was so badly injured that he was pronounced dead after being taken to a nearby hospital.

As for the girl, Sgt. Christian Pacheco said, “We pulled her up by the arm, and she went straight into a colleague’s arms.”

“We successfully got her out of there, placed her in an unmarked vehicle with her family, and took her to the emergency care unit for initial treatment,” he said.

Jacob’s criminal history included convictions for femicide and drug trafficking, as well as animal cruelty, bodily harm, and vehicle theft.

The Mail noted that on Jan. 14, Jacob had been released from house arrest after being convicted on four charges, one of which was kidnapping.

⚠️ WARNING: This post contains distressing details of kidnapping, abuse, & mob violence

Marco Jacob, 61, was beaten to death by an angry mob in Tramandaí, Brazil, after he was arrested for kidnapping a nine-year-old girl & holding her captive in the basement of his convenience… pic.twitter.com/iGPdRDC2m3

— True Crime Updates (@TrueCrimeUpdat) March 1, 2025

Cristiane Oliveira, the girl’s mother, said she was held in the tiny space below the floor for about 12 hours with no food or water.

“I thank God very much. I promised that I will help her and pray for the rest of my life and I will give her whatever she wants,” Oliveira said.

“I will give her whatever she wants, that I will do my best to make her happy, to make her forget about this,” she said.

Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. Advertise Today.