Brazilian immigrant dies in police custody
September 12, 2007

BOSTON --An illegal immigrant from Brazil died in State Police custody after being stricken with an unknown illness, according to the Essex District Attorney's Office.

Maxsuel Medeiros, 25, a roofer from Framingham, was taken into custody Friday after State Police pulled over a car he was a passenger in for a lane violation on Interstate 495 south in Andover.

Police said they had varying identities for Medeiros and arrested him after determining he had two outstanding state warrants. He was placed in a cell at the Andover barracks, but was taken to the hospital after he became ill Friday evening. He died Tuesday morning at Massachusetts General Hospital.

Medeiros was undocumented and entered the U.S. through Mexico about eight years ago seeking a better life, his aunt, Meire Medeiros, told The Boston Globe.

Medeiros's death is the second time in just over a month that an illegal immigrant from Brazil who was living in Massachusetts died while in custody.

On Aug. 7, Edimar Alves Araujo, 34, of Milford died shortly after Woonsocket, R.I., police stopped him on a traffic violation and turned him over to federal immigration authorities. His sister claimed police refused to let her give him his epilepsy medicine. Police denied her account and said Araujo was fine when they turned him over to federal authorities.

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Information from: The Boston Globe, http://www.boston.com/globe



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