Mother and daughter found buried under family home as police search for runaway partner

The bodies of a woman and young girl have been found buried under the family home while police hunt her runaway partner.

A woman and her young stepdaughter were allegedly forced to dig their own graves before being buried under a patio in Brazil.

The shocking claim was allegedly made by the dead woman’s teenage daughter during an interview with homicide detectives in Brazil, The Sun reports.

Cristiane Arena, 34, and Karoline Vitoria, 9, had been missing since November last year.

The two victims, Cristiane and Karoline, with Fabrício Buim Arena Belinato. Picture: Supplied

But their bodies were found last week underneath a patio in the backyard of the family home in the municipality of Pompeia, Sao Paulo.

Analysis of their remains revealed Cristiane had been stabbed with a knife while Karoline had received a blow to the head.

Police officers made the grim discovery on February 2, after becoming suspicious of recent groundwork at the property.

Their bodies were reportedly found in the backyard of the family’s home. Picture: Supplied

Ms Arena’s partner, Fabrício Buim Arena Belinato, previously gave statements to the police when the pair went missing, but was not charged.

However, since the two bodies were discovered, police have not been able to locate him.

According to Globo, the 16-year-old daughter has also been arrested for being involved in the crime.

Police Chief Claudio Anunciato Filho said they believe Mr Belinato, a psychologist, may have been involved romantically with his older stepdaughter.

Police are searching for psychologist Fabrício Buim Arena Belinato. Picture: Supplied

Detectives said the teenager indicated her sister’s body was buried near a plastic pool in the yard, which is where officers found it.

Police initially went to the property to investigate after reports that the teenager was in danger.

Chief Filho said: “The girl said that her mother left with her youngest daughter after meeting a new boyfriend, but the statements were contradictory and we went to investigate.”

The police also found Mr Belinato had been accessing the victim’s bank account, into which a redundancy payment had recently been made after she lost her job.

Detectives said the teenager indicated her sister’s body was buried near a plastic pool in the yard. Picture: Supplied

Police believe the deaths occurred in late November and the bodies had been buried at the property since then.

Mr Belinato’s car was last seen in the municipality of Presidente Prudente, some two hours away by car from Pompeia.

The investigation is ongoing.

This article originally appeared on The Sun and is republished with permission