O desmembramento de corpos na cidade de Manaus-AM (2024): uma estratégia de obstrução da justiça ou de controle territorial?

Abstract

This study investigates two dimensions of corpse dismemberment in 19 homicide cases in the city of Manaus in 2024: (1) its instrumental function, as a method to obstruct investigations, and (2) its symbolic function, as a demonstration of power and territorial control. The objective was to analyze whether dismemberment primarily constitutes a strategy for concealing evidence and obstructing investigations, or whether it also functions as a mechanism for demonstrating power and territorial control by factions. Adopting a qualitative and exploratory approach, primary data from the Department of Technical-Scientific Police of the State of Amazonas (DPTC-AM) and secondary data from intelligence reports were analyzed, focusing on geospatial patterns, victim profiles, and investigative context. The results reveal predominantly male victims, young and in vulnerable situations, killed by bladed weapons with decapitation or dismemberment. In none of the cases was the perpetrator identified. The strategic dispersal of body parts in rivers and multiple locations, concentrated in areas of influence of the Comando Vermelho (CV) (South and North Zones), evidenced a dual function: to hinder the identification and elucidation of the crime, and to communicate messages of terror and control. It is concluded that the dismemberment in Manaus-AM transcends mere concealment, configuring itself as a sophisticated tactic of criminal governance to intimidate rivals and consolidate the faction's authority in its micro-territories. It is argued that these dimensions are not mutually exclusive, but complementary in the criminal governance strategy.