Last week, a Brazilian man went missing. And as pictures and details from his home have surfaced, it has become clear that this is no ordinary case. Investigators found the walls in Bruno Borges’s apartment covered in code that has been described as “Da Vinci Code”-style writing and satanic signs. Some of the passages are taken from the Bible and there are also quotes from the actual Leonardo da Vinci. And to top it all off, Borges was apparently obsessed with aliens.

The 24-year-old psychology student disappeared from his family home in Rio Branco in Brazil on March 27. A video that was posted by Brazilian news outlet Globo shows that most of the furniture has been removed, and the walls of his large bedroom are covered in writing. There is also a painted portrait of Borges with an alien and a statue of the Italian 16th-century philosopher Giordano Bruno.

Bruno was one of the first documented historical figures to believe that extraterrestrial life exists on other planets. Even though he was a Christian, he thought it was completely possible that there are more planets like ours with aliens that worship their own alien versions of Jesus. Bruno published his theory in a 1584 book and he was burned at the stake in 1600.

The case of Bruno Borges and the odd room he left behind is riveting to me!!https://t.co/8FRte5jqia

— Dylan Jobe (@DylanJobe) April 5, 2017

According to his family, he was working on 14 books, which he planned to publish. He claimed he was completing the work that Giordano Bruno had begun over 500 years ago. His family reports that he had asked them for money, but wouldn’t tell them much about the books, just that they would “change humanity.” His sister said that he recently locked himself in his bedroom for a month when their parents were out of town.

A Brazilian computer expert tried to decode some of the writings, and one part said, “It is easy to accept what you have been taught since childhood and what is wrong. It is difficult, as an adult to understand that you were wrongly taught what you suspected was correct since you were a child.”

While Borges likely suffered from some sort of mental illness, people on social media had lots of crazy theories about what happened. Some thought aliens had come to collect him. Other theorized that Borges is a reincarnation of Bruno, hellbent on finishing the work he began.

Incrível a semelhança entre Giordano BRUNO(estátua) e Bruno Borges. pic.twitter.com/YSXX060eSY

— Natan Peres (@peresnatan) March 29, 2017

Some thought Dan Brown might have something to do with this.

@AuthorDanBrown Do you know about the disappearance of Bruno Borges? It’s very similar to the type of books you wrote

— maris (@boobiased) April 4, 2017

And some were just amazed that this story is real.

Most insane shit ever

Brazilian kid goes missing. In his room they find books written in code, a massive statue. Also wrote on walls pic.twitter.com/MYeRduP1oB

— Izzy Nobre (@MrNobre) April 4, 2017

Emma Von Zeipel

Emma Von Zeipel is a staff writer at Law Street Media. She is originally from one of the islands of Stockholm, Sweden. After working for Democratic Voice of Burma in Thailand, she ended up in New York City. She has a BA in journalism from Stockholm University and is passionate about human rights, good books, horses, and European chocolate. Contact Emma at EVonZeipel@LawStreetMedia.com.

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On September 13 2014, 18-year-old University of Virginia student Hannah Graham went missing, and recently authorities arrested and charged 32-year-old Jesse L. Matthew Jr. in relation to the incident. His current charge is described as abduction with intent to defile in the case of Graham. (Intent to defile meaning he intended to sexually assault the victim.) Matthew is currently being held without bond and is scheduled for a hearing in early December. Unfortunately, after two weeks of searching, Graham has still not been found, but authorities are doing all they can to locate her.

This case is a tragedy and my heart goes out to Graham’s family and friends. One of the hardest things to understand in this case is recently surfaced reports alleging that Matthew has a history of sexual assault accusations, none of which ended in conviction. According to The Washington Post,

The alleged assaults occurred within an 11-month span from 2002 to 2003 as Jesse L. “LJ” Matthew Jr. moved from Liberty University in Lynchburg to Christopher Newport University in Newport News. Police investigated each report, but neither resulted in a criminal case, according to the Lynchburg prosecutor and a review of online court records in Newport News.

If the allegations of these cases from over a decade ago are true, and with minimal knowledge of the reasoning surrounding the dropped charges, it is hard not to wonder why Matthew got away with such crimes not once, but twice before harming another innocent young girl? These alleged incidents occurred while Matthew was a student attending university, and although legislation and public discourse surrounding campus sexual assault has been under the miscroscope in recent months, I cannot help but wonder how we can act to prevent this loophole?

This case is reminiscent of another sexual assault case with similar characteristics.  In 1996 Amie Zyla, an 8-year-old girl, was sexually molested and victimized by family friend Joshua Wade who was 14 years old at the time. Wade was adjudicated for a misdemeanor in juvenile court. Nine years later, Wade was convicted and sentenced to 25 years in prison for a series of sexual molestation cases involving the abuse of young children. This case caused huge controversy, and was the driving force behind expansions in the definition of sexual assault.

These two cases indicate the importance of people’s histories and backgrounds. We all make mistakes, and sometimes it is wrong for our privacy to be intruded upon, but with something like sexual assault cases — regardless of whether there has been a conviction — something about this needs to be mentioned. It doesn’t take a lot of common sense to understand how hard it can be to convict a perpetrator of sexual assault. There is often a lack of witnesses on top of fear and upset from the victim; with a case dependent on DNA testing, the odds are very slim. Just because cases may not be tried in court — like Matthew’s two alleged college incidents — it does not mean that they didn’t happen and are not warning signs for things to come.

The media has spent its energy publicizing Matthew’s past. This runs a risk of setting off stricter registration laws for sexual offenders, which have proven to do more harm than good. By broadcasting the background of a perpetrator who was in society seemingly living normally until his arrest for the disappearance of a young girl, I question whether the media is supporting the need to find Graham and bring her home safely, or whether it is striking the ‘stranger danger’ rape myth back into society?

Hannah Kaye

Hannah Kaye is originally from London, now living in New York. Recently graduated with an MA in criminal justice from John Jay College. Strong contenders for things she is most passionate about are bagels and cupcakes. Contact Hannah at staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

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