A 37-year-old Brazilian woman has been charged after allegedly posing as a 12-year-old girl in an attempt to be adopted by a family.

According to Yahoo News, police said Amanda Maria Souza de Oliveira pretended to be a 12-year-old runaway named Gabriela and sought help from a church pastor, claiming she had escaped an abusive family. Members of the church community reportedly provided her with financial assistance and later introduced her to a family willing to care for her.

Authorities said Oliveira went on to live with the family, took medication, including Mounjaro, and celebrated what was presented as her 12th birthday. The family reportedly began pursuing the adoption process before a relative became suspicious about her identity.

To explain her mature appearance, Oliveira allegedly told the family that she had aged rapidly due to hormone treatment during childhood and severe abuse by her father.

Police said a relative later conducted online checks and discovered reports linked to similar impersonation cases involving Oliveira. The information was passed on to law enforcement, which uncovered what authorities described as a series of similar incidents across at least seven Brazilian states.

During questioning, Oliveira reportedly confessed to police. She is currently being held at Joinville Women’s Prison.

Reports indicate that a judge has authorised a psychiatric evaluation at the request of her attorneys.

Her lawyer has suggested that underlying psychological issues may have contributed to her actions and could potentially reduce her legal responsibility for the alleged offences.