A 12-year-old boy, identified as David Kauan Silva da Costa, tragically lost his life after being run over by a tractor in the early hours of Sunday, June 22, 2025, at a landfill located in Vila Dagmar Mazza, south of Teresina, capital of the Brazilian state of Piauí.
David was a teenager who lived with his mother, stepfather, and two sisters. He attended the Lyzandro Tito de Oliveira Municipal School and dreamed of becoming a police officer.
According to his grandmother, Maria Albetiza Silva dos Santos, the boy wanted to buy a motorcycle and, to do so, decided to secretly go to the landfill, despite his mother’s refusal, who had forbidden him from participating in collection activities because it was an unsafe environment for a child.
The minor went to the landfill without his family’s knowledge and spent the night there, hidden and covered with cardboard. While he was sleeping, he was run over by a tractor operating there. According to the 22nd Military Police Battalion (22nd BPM), David was already dead when officers arrived at the site.
The driver of the machinery was not in the area at the time of the discovery, and his identity has not yet been revealed. As of the latest update, the person responsible had not yet appeared before authorities.
The Piauí State Public Security Secretariat (SSP-PI) is investigating the case. Meanwhile, the company in charge of operating the landfill, which operates 24 hours a day, has offered assistance to the family and covered the costs of the child’s coffin.
The Teresina City Council is also involved in supporting the victim’s relatives.
The Piauí Public Labor Ministry (MPT-PI) deeply regretted the death of the minor and reaffirmed its commitment to eradicating child labor.
He indicated that he is working jointly with the State Accounting Court (TCE), the State Public Prosecutor’s Office (MP-PI), and the Secretariat of Environment and Water Resources to reorganize the socio-productive inclusion of waste collectors in the municipalities with the highest waste generation.
These efforts include negotiations for the signing of a Conduct Adjustment Agreement (TAC) that includes the gradual closure of landfills, the promotion of selective collection, and the structuring of recycling cooperatives.
The organization emphasized that any type of work carried out by minors under 14 years of age constitutes a violation of children’s rights and can be reported to the Guardianship Council, to the MPT itself (through the portal www.prt22.mpt.mp.br, by WhatsApp at (86) 99544-7488), or through the national line Dial 100.
David lived in vulnerable conditions. His mother works as a garbage collector at the same landfill where the tragedy occurred.
The grandmother said that the boy had already tried to get a job in a mechanic’s shop and frequently expressed his desire to provide a better life for his mother.
The boy’s body was laid to rest on Sunday afternoon at the school where he attended, and will be buried in the municipality of Miguel Alves, located about 110 kilometers from Teresina.
