Bodies remain on stretchers for days, without refrigeration, outside the IML in SP

Employees, who preferred not to be identified, say that the bodies arrive at the unit and remain outside due to the delay in being accommodated. The IML Central receives and releases hundreds of bodies every month, in a flow that involves carrying out necroscopic examinations and delivering the bodies to family members or funeral services.

The government of São Paulo, responsible for administering the institute, denied that the bodies remain outside due to the high demand. According to state management, the space is used for screening before carrying out autopsies and also for the delivery of corpses to the funeral service.

In addition to the complaint about bodies left outside, another case draws attention to the length of time bodies remain in the IML Central. The body of Jefferson de Souza, a young man killed by military police in June last year, has been in the unit for almost a year and a half, even after the court ordered the state government to pay for his transfer to his hometown, in Alagoas.

Jefferson was homeless when he was killed by military police under the 25 de Março Viaduct, in the central region of the capital. At the time, agents said he had tried to disarm a police officer during an approach.

The images from the police officers' body cameras, however, showed a different sequence than that reported by the police officers. Jefferson appears collaborating with the team, without showing any reaction. At one point, soldier Danilo Gehring covers the camera lens. When the image returns, the young man is already dead, hit by three rifle shots.

On Thursday (12), Danilo was sentenced to 12 years in prison for Jefferson's death. A lieutenant accused of also participating in the shooting is still awaiting trial.

The young man's family lives in Alagoas and does not have the financial means to pay for transporting the body to the state. According to the São Paulo Public Defender's Office, however, this expense should not be attributed to family members, since the death was caused by a State agent.

The family filed a lawsuit to ensure the transport of the body. In August last year, the Court ordered the government of São Paulo to cover the costs of the transfer to Craíbas, the city in Alagoas where the family members live.

In a note, the government of São Paulo reported that it had not yet been notified of the latest court decision, which determined the blocking of R$10,000 to cover the cost of the transfer.

The state administration stated, however, that the family members presented a budget for transporting the body and that the State Attorney General's Office agreed with the amount on October 19.

Regarding the bodies found in the external area of ​​the IML Central, the government reiterated that the space is used for screening before the autopsy and for the delivery of the bodies to the funeral service. The administration denied that they would remain there due to the high demand for services.