Violent attacks in broad daylight are rare in central Buenos Aires, and even rarer on the most touristy Corrientes streets. Judicial authorities are investigating the murder of Brazilian María Vilma das Dores Cascarho da Silva Bosco, which occurred shortly after noon last Thursday. The 69-year-old woman was in Argentina to spend several months with her daughter, a medical student at the University of Buenos Aires. On November 6, she was walking on Calle Corrientes in the Avast neighborhood when a man approached her and punched her “for no apparent reason,” police sources said. The assailant pushed her down and she hit her head on the ground as she fell. Emergency services immediately transported her to a nearby hospital, but they were unable to save her life and Cascaro da Silva Bosco died from head injuries.
The news was announced on Wednesday after the family called for expedited repatriation procedures and raised funds through social networks to pay for the transport. The attacker, a 30-year-old man, is being held on suspicion of attempted murder.
Born in Itapranga in the central state of Goiás, Cascaro da Silva worked as an employee of the Court of Justice of Goiás until his retirement. Her former colleagues interviewed by Brazilian portal site G1 described her as a dedicated and generous person. He had arrived in Argentina in July and was scheduled to return to Brazil within a few weeks.
Buenos Aires police arrested the assailant hours after the attack, reporting that the man had a long criminal history, including “robbery on public roads, attempted robbery, assault, and disorder,” had been admitted to a mental health center “due to mental illness,” and had run away several times.
Official information reinforces the hypothesis that the attackers acted without any prior provocation or intent to rob, but that it was an episode of uncontrolled violence. The detainees were temporarily transferred to Borda Psychiatric Hospital, where judicial authorities are analyzing whether they are at fault.
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