Father arrested after children he adopted with a same-sex partner were burned in Brazil

A father of three, whom he adopted with his same-sex partner, was arrested after they were burned in a house fire in Brazil.

Ricardo Reis de Farias and Vieira, 33, were arrested Wednesday in the southern state of Sao Paulo after a fire in his home that killed biological siblings Fernanda, 14, and Gabriel, nine, and two-year-old Lorenzo.

Police reportedly became suspicious of Ricardo after telling them he couldn’t hear his children in the flame, but the neighbors remembered hearing one of the boys shout, “Dad, don’t leave us here to die . “

Ricardo Reis de Farias and Vieira, 33 (right), were arrested in Brazil after a fire killed his three children Fernanda (right), Gabriel (bottom left) and Lorenzo (center), whom he adopted with a same-sex partner, Leandro , 36 (left)

The biological siblings Fernanda (left) and Gabriel (right) were adopted by the couple in 2014, while the youngest, Lorenzo, was adopted in 2019

Ricardo claims he was woken up by smoke at his home in Sao Paulo on Wednesday morning before running to the police because he could not get into his nursery

Ricardo had adopted the two older children in 2014 with partner Leandro Jose Reis de Farias and Vieira, 36, and the couple then adopted the youngest son in 2019.

Ricardo and Leandro had been married for 15 years but had recently separated and shared custody, with the children spending a week in each house.

They were at Ricardo’s on Wednesday evening when a fire broke out in their room, local media reports.

Ricardo told investigators that he had been woken up by smoke and could not get into the nursery. He ran to the local police station for help.

The police ran back to the house and broke the door of the children’s room, but the cold didn’t enter because the flames were too hot.

Instead, they had to wait for firefighters to arrive, who managed to get the fire under control so the officers could enter.

Once inside, they found the charred remains of the three children – one in the bathroom, one in the corner of the bedroom, and one by the window.

Police became suspicious of Ricardo (right) for “inconsistencies” in his story, including claiming that the children never called when a neighbor said one shouted, “Don’t leave us here to die.”

Ricardo (right) had been married to Leandro (left) for 15 years, but the couple had recently separated and shared custody of their children