Olympian Has Been Missing for Over a Month

Brazilian Olympic marathon runner Daniel Ferreira do Nascimento has been reported missing by his mother while serving a five-year suspension from competition after failing an anti-doping test.

Nascimento, who turned 28 on Tuesday, July 28, was last seen leaving his home in Paraguaçu Paulista, in Brazil’s São Paulo state, around 7 p.m. on June 19, according to an emotional Instagram post from his mother, Valdirense de Paula Ferreira.

Ferreira said her son left with only a black backpack and noted that he has been dealing with psychological issues.

The Brazilian Athletics Confederation said Nascimento’s mother and five siblings filed a missing person report on Monday, July 27. The organization also called on the sports community to help share information and support the search for the missing runner.

The São Paulo Secretariat of Public Security told Brazilian newspaper O Dia that the General Investigations Department in Assis is handling the case.

On Tuesday, as Nascimento marked his 28th birthday while still missing, his mother posted a heartbreaking birthday message alongside a photo of the two together.

“Congratulations, Daniel!” she wrote in Portuguese. “Come back home — may God bless you, light your path, and bring you home safely. Happy birthday!”

Nascimento, also known by the nicknames Armero and Danielzinho, is one of Brazil’s most recognized distance runners. According to O Globo, he holds the South American marathon record and represented Brazil at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.

He also drew international attention in 2022 when he collapsed while leading the New York City Marathon, about 15 kilometers from the finish line.

But his career took a devastating turn in July 2024, shortly before the Paris Olympics. His team announced on Instagram that he had failed an anti-doping test after testing positive for three banned substances, leaving him unable to compete in Paris.

In the statement, posted on July 16, 2024, his team also pointed to his mental health struggles.

“Mental health is important for any professional, from any field, to perform, and Daniel deals with traumas and mental issues that have led him to his worst stage in recent months,” the statement read.

The post also said communication with Nascimento had become “practically non-existent” and that those around him were focused on getting him proper treatment.

According to O Dia, the Athletics Integrity Unit later handed Nascimento a five-year suspension in 2025, which remains in effect until July 2029.

While suspended, Nascimento had returned to live with his mother in Paraguaçu Paulista, according to Brazilian outlet G1. Ferreira said he had been accompanying her to work and helping process cassava, a major crop in Brazil.

Now, more than a month after he disappeared, his family is desperate for answers.

“A mother’s feeling… a thousand things go through your head,” Ferreira told G1. “I think I’ve lost about 10 kilos. When it rains, you think about a lot of things. It’s very difficult.”

Nascimento’s disappearance has left Brazil’s running community shaken, as one of the country’s most gifted marathoners remains missing during what his own team previously described as one of the darkest periods of his life.