A Brazilian gang leader tried to escape prison dressed as his daughter. When that failed, he killed himself

A prisoner who made headlines over the weekend when he tried to escape by dressing up as his 19-year-old daughter was found dead in his cell, Brazilian authorities said Tuesday.

Clauvino da Silva, a Brazilian gang leader, appeared to have hanged himself with a sheet, Rio de Janeiro prisons authorities said. An investigation has been opened.

During his now-viral escape attempt, da Silva, 42, donned tight jeans and a pink shirt, along with a mask and wig. He planned to leave his daughter inside Gericinó prison while he fled.

But the disguise didn't fool prison officials, who said his nervousness gave him away as he tried to leave the prison in the western part of Rio de Janeiro. 

Police are investigating her role as a possible accomplice.

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Rio's State Secretary of Prison Administration released video footage of da Silva, in which he can be seen removing the mask and some of the clothes and saying his full name. 

Authorities said da Silva was part of the leadership of the Red Command, one of the most powerful criminal groups in Brazil that controlled drug trafficking in a large part of Rio.

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After the failed escape, da Silva was transferred to a maximum-security prison where authorities had said he would face disciplinary sanctions.

Contributing: Vandana Ravikumar, Paste BN; The Associated Press

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