Army soldier disappears after leaving barracks in Recife with rifle and ammunition; family calls police

An Army soldier disappeared after leaving a barracks in Recife on Saturday (17) carrying his individual weapons: a 7.62 mm caliber rifle and 20 rounds of ammunition. Pedro Gabriel Bezerra, 20 years old, was working at the 7th Supply Depot, in the Cabanga neighborhood, in the South Zone of the city. The place is a military base where supplies, ammunition and weapons are stored.

The soldier's whereabouts are unknown. Pedro Gabriel's family, in a video recorded alongside lawyer Jario Santos, appealed for the young man to reappear and filed a missing person report with the Civil Police. In the recording, the soldier's mother, Thamy Santos, visibly moved, says she is waiting for her son to get in touch.

In a statement, the Ministry of Defense, through the Northeast Military Command, stated that:

the soldier "escaped from the 7th Supply Depot, while on guard duty at the barracks, taking his individual weapons with him";

"does not condone possible misappropriation by its members and will use all its means, with the support of public security bodies, to recover the aforementioned material";

a Military Police Inquiry (IPM) was opened to investigate the case.

The lawyer for the young man's family made an appeal via video and text on social media for anyone who has any information about the soldier's whereabouts to contact the family. Jario Santos also said that the young man's mother is "distressed and worried, without any information" about her son's whereabouts.