Ex-lover reaches out

Police yet to interview ‘person of interest’ in woman’s death

NSW detectives are yet to formally speak to the former lover of murdered Brazilian woman Cecilia Haddad, whose body was found floating in a Sydney river, despite him making contact from his home town of Rio de Janeiro.

Mario Marcelo Santoro flew home to Brazil the same weekend the 38-year-old executive’s fully clothed body was found floating in the Lane Cove River near Woolwich. While the outcome of last week’s post-mortem examination has been closely guarded by investigators, the results led police to confirm the case was a homicide.

Yesterday News Corp reported that the kayakers who discovered Ms Haddad’s body on the morning of April 29 said they found weights stuffed into the pockets of her cargo pants.

Police say Mr Santoro remains a “person of interest”, along with others. Mr Santoro, 40, has told News Corp that he has placed himself at the disposal of NSW Police, it was reported yesterday.

But a NSW Police spokeswoman said no arrest warrants had been issued and no formal statements had been made.

Mr Santoro and Ms Haddad had lived together in the past, but Ms Haddad had asked him to leave her home in Ryde – about 6km from where her body was found – in the weeks leading up to her death.

Homicide detectives are working under Strike Force Bronwyn to investigate the murder.

“Strike Force Bronwyn are continuing their inquiries into the circumstances surrounding the death of Cecilia Haddad both here and abroad,” police said in a statement.

“NSW Police Force has engaged with international partners and, given the sensitive nature of these inquiries, it is not appropriate to comment further.”

The dive squad was expected to return to the area yesterday to search for evidence beneath Gladesville Bridge, a police spokeswoman said.