On March 27, 2017, Bruno de Melo Silva Borges, a Brazilian student, disappeared after leaving his home in Rio Branco, Acre. In his bedroom, Borges left several encrypted messages, 14 handwritten books, and a statue of philosopher Giordano Bruno. The Civil Police of Acre investigated the case and Interpol was called. Borges's disappearance received wide coverage on the Internet, generating memes and online investigations. During the investigation, it was revealed Borges had the help of two friends and a cousin to carry out the project, and that he had signed a contract allocating part of the proceeds of the sale of his books to his three helpers.
At dawn on August 11 the same year, Borges returned to his house barefoot, debilitated, and dehydrated. Soon after, he began working on corrections for his book , which had received negative reviews. Borges told police chief Alcino Júnior he "disappeared of his own free will and that he was not coerced by any external force". He did not reveal his hiding place. By September 26, Borges had gained and said he was surprised by the reactions to his project. Two days later, Borges opened his room, which he considered a "work of art", for visitors.
Since the discovery of the contracts, there have been several accusations the case was a scheme to promote Borges's books. The Civil Police of Acre and the state's Public Security Advisory stated the disappearance was most likely a marketing scheme, which Borges and his mother denied. According to Borges, the main intention of his project was "to encourage people to acquire knowledge" and the accusations were made by sensationalist media. Borges's friend sued Borges, accusing him of not handing over the books' proceeds as contracted.
Background and disappearance
Bruno de Melo Silva Borges enjoyed reading in his adolescence, preferring "denser" readings. He studied administration, law, and psychology, but did not finish his courses. He later became interested in philosophy. Borges told his mother he needed money for a project, but she refused when he failed to elaborate on the details of said project. Borges's cousin Eduardo Veloso, however, transferred 20,000 reais to Borges because he believed in this project. Borges said he "[would] be writing 14 books that would change humanity in a good way". He began writing these books in 2013 and completed some of them in 2016. To finish his project, Borges asked his mother if he could spend a year without working and, guided by a doctor, she allowed it.
On March 1, 2017, Borges's parents traveled, by which time he had written five books and wanted to publish one of them. Borges remained at home in Rio Branco with his twin brother and older sister. He locked himself in his room for 24 days, leaving only to eat. On March 24, Borges was at the house of his neighbor Maria do Socorro; he told her he was finishing the books and that he wanted to help her and others in need.
On March 27, Borges's parents returned from their trip and had lunch with the family. Later, his father left Borges at the corner of his house. Bruno Borges then left on foot without documents or money, but with his backpack and computer's hard drive. After walking for over , he arrived at a taxi stand, from which he took a taxi to a motel. The journey lasted 15 minutes, during which Borges received a call and was anxious to reach his destination. The motel staff said Borges had not been there; it is believed he went to a forest behind the motel, where "secret rituals" took place. A seamstress reported Borges and a friend ordered three tunics.
Before his return, Borges had been last seen on March 28, 2017, at 2:29p.m., captured by a security camera running towards his home. On the same day, news portal G1 published the news of Borges's disappearance. Borges's father reported in the article his son had been missing since 2:00p.m. the day before; he tried to call his son's cellphone but it was turned off, and reported Borges had never disappeared before.