A tragic incident unfolded in Brazil when a 14-year-old boy died after injecting himself with a concoction made from butterfly remains. The boy, Davi Nunes Moreira, began to experience severe symptoms including vomiting and a limp after he mixed a deceased butterfly with water and injected the solution into his leg.
Moreira initially told his father that he had injured himself while playing. However, as his condition worsened and he was admitted to a hospital in Planalto, he revealed the true cause of his illness. The syringe used for the injection was later discovered hidden under Moreira’s pillow.
Despite being transferred to another hospital in Vitoria de Conquista, the third-largest city in the state of Bahia, Moreira succumbed to his injuries. His death has sparked widespread attention across Brazil, with speculation that toxins in the butterfly mixture may have caused his body to go into septic shock and shut down.
While the official cause of death is yet to be determined pending full post-mortem results, authorities are investigating the possibility that Moreira was participating in a dangerous online challenge. A spokesperson for the Civil Police in Vitoria da Conquista, who are leading the investigation, stated that the autopsy results would provide clarity on the cause of death.
Marcelo Duarte, a butterfly specialist and the director of Sao Paulo University’s Zoology Museum, noted that the toxicity of butterflies to humans is not well-studied. He explained that butterflies have a complex biology and the fluids in their bodies have not been thoroughly examined for their potential toxicity to humans.
While it is known that Monarch butterflies store poisonous toxins from the milkweed they consume as caterpillars, it has not been specified what type of butterfly Moreira used in his fatal injection. The investigation into this tragic incident is ongoing.