Glamorous couple Leandro Silva Troesch and Shirley da Silva Figueiredo were on the run for 20 years, in plain sight. Photo / Supplied
Glamorous couple Leandro Silva Troesch and Shirley da Silva Figueiredo were on the run for 20 years, in plain sight. Photo / Supplied
A couple of convicted kidnappers who have been on the run from authorities for 20 years have been found living in luxury at an idyllic beachside resort, 100km from where they committed the heinous crime.
Husband and wife Leandro Silva Troesch and Shirley da Silva Figueiredo managed to evade authorities after being convicted of kidnapping a woman for ransom in Brazil in 2001.
Troesch was sentenced to 14 years in jail and Figueiredo was handed a nine-year sentence, but both got away without serving any jail time.
One of two luxury guest houses owned by the couple. Photo / Instagram, @pousadaparaisoperdido
But after 20 years on the run, the law finally caught up with the pair on February 19, when they were arrested at their property at an idyllic beachside location in Brazil.
Incredibly, they hadn't been keeping a particularly low profile – the guesthouses were popular with famous visitors and hosted performances by well-known artists, according to local media.
The Instagram pages of their properties, Paraiso Perdido and Pousada Aconchego das Aguas, have attracted close to 90,000 followers, and the couple have appeared in many photos posted on the Instagram pages.
Still, authorities had no idea the couple had been there the whole time.
Resorts Paraiso Perdido and Pousada Aconchego have grown into popular businesses, owned by the couple. Photo / Supplied, Facebook
Their lawyer Abdon Abadde told local media the couple didn't actually shy away from arrest, but authorities had never sought them until now.
"They have Instagram, they put on events at the hotel and they advertise them," he said.
"They are public figures and they have been there all along."
Leandro Silva Troesch and Shirley da Silva Figueiredo had been on the run since they were sentenced to jail in 2001. Photo / Facebook, pousadaparaisoperdido
The couple, along with three accomplices, were found guilty in 2001 of kidnapping a woman in the Brazilian neighbourhood of Itapua, in Salvador, a demanded a $8000 for her return.
They have been taken to Mata Escura Penitentiary Complex in Salvador, the capital of Bahia state, to finally carry out their sentences, two decades later.
