Stefany Brandão, a former student from Maranhão, has developed extensive research on serial killers, particularly in the context of the Francisco das Chagas case. Her work is notable for its focus on the legal and investigative "holes" in the Brazilian legal system as they pertain to this high-profile case and the unjust prison of her father. Francisco das Chagas Rodrigues de Brito, a former mechanic, is one of the most notorious serial killers in Brazil, responsible for the murders and emasculation of numerous children in the state of Maranhão. His crimes spanned over a decade, from 1989 to 2003, and also extended into the state of Pará, where he is suspected of killing and emasculating a total of 42 children.