Portugal’s PJ criminal police have issued a public appeal for help in identifying a man whose body was found in an advanced state of decomposition near a waterfall in Madeira.
The body was discovered on July 4, 2025, close to the Levada Nova dos Canhas, in the municipality of Calheta. According to the PJ, the advanced state of decomposition made facial identification impossible, leading investigators to appeal to the public for help.
The deceased is described as a man approximately 1.80 metres tall, with an estimated weight of around 60 kilos. Investigators say he had several distinctive tattoos, which may be key to identifying him.
One in particular is a tattoo written in Romanian, reading: “Dacă pentru a trăi trebuie să te târăști, ridică-te și mișcă!”, which roughly translates into “If in order to live you have to crawl, stand up and move.” The man also had three other black tattoos: a scarab beetle on his right forearm, a tribal-style image of a howling wolf near the navel, and a tribal design on the left forearm believed to represent a female silhouette.
No further information has been made public thus far.
Anyone who recognises the tattoos or believes they may know the identity of the man is urged to contact the Madeira division of the Polícia Judiciária. Information can be provided by phone on 291 220 800 or by email at chefepiquetefu@pj.pt.
