“I can’t look there and not see my son there.” The outburst comes from Tauã Brito, mother of Wellington Brito, one of the 122 killed in the mega-operation in the Penha and Alemão Complexes, on October 28, 2025.
The baker spent more than 12 hours searching for her son. That morning, he left the house in an attempt to find him alive and convince him to hand himself over to the police, but he only found his body in the early hours of the morning, in the woods. Wellington was among the dozens of dead people taken to Praça São Lucas, in Penha.
One year of the mega-operation: this report is part of a g1 series on the consequences of the action carried out on October 28, 2025 in the Penha and Alemão complexes, with 122 deaths. See links to other reports in the series at the end of the report.
Months later, in the midst of grief, she decided to create a project to welcome other mothers who also lost their children in contexts of violence.
The Fênix project, initially created with the intention of offering opportunities to young people, has also become a listening space for those who have lost children and relatives and, often, do not find support to deal with their grief.
Tauã Brito — Photo: Social networks
The day of the operation
In an interview with g1, she reported that she left the residence at around 8 am and tried to reach the forested area where she believed Wellington was. According to her, police officers fired shots in her direction to prevent her from advancing. Tauã states that he only managed to enter the region at night, after the agents left, and found his son's body around 1:30 am the following morning.
The mother said Wellington had a rope tied to his arm. She questions the circumstances of the death and claims that her son should have had the opportunity to surrender to the police.
The investigation into the deaths that occurred during the operation is under investigation by the Public Ministry of Rio de Janeiro and the Homicide Police of the Capital.
Residents took bodies from the forest to a square — Photo: Reproduction/Fantástico
In addition to demanding answers about his son's death, Tauã reports that he began to suffer threats and intimidation. According to her, police officers made comments about Wellington and said she should die too.
“There were police officers who said to me: ‘I should have let you enter [the forest], that way you would kill mother and child.’ Others said: ‘you have to die because you like to feed vagrants’, saying that my son was a vagrant, right? That I had to die. And then one even sent it to me: ‘Next time I will come to your house’, and then he sent my address”, he said.
Tauã claims that the threats are a way of intimidating her. Out of fear, she stopped living in Complexo da Penha.
“In other words, I can’t even talk about my son’s death, because they want to intimidate me all the time,” he said.
From trying to help young people to welcoming mothers
Tauã's initial idea was to create a project that would help young people find alternatives to crime, with professional courses and job opportunities. She had previously said that she did not support her son's involvement in drug trafficking and tried to convince him to abandon crime.
But, as he tried to get the project off the ground, he started receiving messages from mothers who had lost children and didn't know how to seek information, guidance or support.
"At some point, the Fênix project will reach young people, but today the Fênix project needs to embrace these women, because what happens is that nobody looks at these women. Nobody looks at their family members. People see a lot until the day of the burial. And, when the day of the burial passes, nobody looks," he said.
Tauã Brito and his son Wellington Brito when he was little — Photo: Social networks
According to Tauã, the experience of other mothers also helped her understand that suffering does not end with the burial. Family members need to deal with the absence, with the memories of the death and with the consequences of the loss for the rest of the family.
"Time passes. Nobody talks about their children anymore, not even the family wants to listen anymore. But that mother needs to talk. That mother wants her son to be remembered", he stated.
Currently, the project brings together around 35 mothers, from different communities in Rio. The meetings take place every 15 days in the space of a social initiative in Penha, Arte Transformadora, which provides the location for the meetings.
Tauã organizes the activities and relies on occasional donations, such as food for a snack during the meetings. In the interview, she said that a psychology student and her friends showed interest in collaborating with conversation groups and should go to the next meeting.
Tauã Brito and his son Wellington Brito — Photo: Social networks
The pain of returning to the square
Wellington's death also changed Tauã's relationship with places in the community. During the children's party organized by residents in the Praça São Lucas region, in Penha, she returned to the place she had avoided since the operation. Tauã had prepared the cake for the event, but the experience was emotionally difficult, according to her.
"There was a moment that gave me despair. And then I started crying, it gave me an anxiety attack", he said.
She said she needed time to calm down and be able to stay in place. The presence of the children playing helped to get through that moment, but it did not erase the memory of the son.
“I can’t look there and not see my son there”, he reported.
Tauã Brito in Praça São Lucas one year later — Photo: Social networks
Tauã also states that the support offered by the project is important for her. At meetings, she is able to talk about what she feels and cry in front of other women who have experienced similar losses.
"There in Fênix, I can cry. I can let out the feelings that we have been enduring, having to be strong all the time", he said.
Advocating opportunities for young people
In addition to welcoming families, Tauã advocates that public authorities invest in education, culture, sport, leisure and professional training in favelas. For her, lethal police actions do not replace policies capable of expanding the life possibilities of young people.
"The State came in and killed. So, what changed? What did the State do to change? It didn't do anything", he questioned.
Tauã Brito receiving the Chico Mendes medal — Photo: Social networks
In her opinion, community projects need support to continue functioning and reach more people.
“If it is a State that is really concerned with wanting to change the reality of young people, wanting to reduce violence, I think it is with opportunities, with culture, with leisure, with more study”, he stated.
In March 2026, Tauã was one of those honored with the 38th Chico Mendes Resistance Medal, awarded by the Tortura Nunca Mais Group of Rio de Janeiro to people and entities linked to the defense of human rights. The tribute recognized his role in reporting his son's death during Operation Containment.
