Kriti Mehrotra
As a documentary series exposing the alleged actuality of the titular conservative, traditionalist Catholic group, HBO Max’s ‘Slaves of Faith: The Heralds of the Gospel’ is haunting. That’s because there are not only claims of religious manipulation but also allegations of abuse, brainwashing, and cover-up, with the latter being in connection with a member’s death in 2016. The truth is, Livia Natsui Salvador Uchida passed away at age 26, with the institution as well as police records asserting it was an accident, while her mother still believes there is more to the story.
Livia Natsui Salvador Uchida Died After Falling From a Window
It was around 1990 when Livia Natsui Salvador Uchida was born to Paraíba native Zelia Salvador de Asis and Japanese immigrant Naoyoshi “Pedro” Uchida as their only daughter. From what we can tell based on the original production, she was the middle child since she had at least one older brother and one younger brother, both of whom adored her as much as their parents. She was thus always encouraged to follow her passions, which lay in the world of art – whether it be calligraphy, painting, sculpting, or stained glass creations, she did it all by the time she was a teenager.
According to the aforementioned show, Livia’s father joined the Tradition, Family, Property movement around the late 1980s through his brother before encouraging his kids to engage too. This organization later restructured and became The Heralds of the Gospel in 1999 under the leadership of João Clá, which is when most of the Uchidas really began devoting themselves to it. We specify “most” because Zelia didn’t particularly support the institution or its practices, especially after her eldest son allegedly expressed distress, resulting in her decision to separate from Pedro. She subsequently moved to the other side of town, rented a home to show stability, and filed for divorce as well as full custody of her children.
Zelia’s eldest reportedly didn’t hesitate to leave everything behind, but Livia told her mother she couldn’t move away because she had responsibilities. By this point, the kids were enrolled at the Heralds’ boarding school, and the young girl had somehow ended up garnering the favor of João Clá. Therefore, she was tasked not only with creating art for the organization/its church but also with personally caring for the leader’s elderly mother, as she was one of the few people they trusted. Since neither Zelia nor Pedro wanted any bad blood, they divorced with the stipulation that they remain co-parents, with the eldest living with her and the others remaining with him. However, everything changed on July 27, 2016, as Livia fell from the window of her 4th-story room and passed away from her injuries in the courtyard.
While Police Records Classify Livia Uchida’s Death as an Accident, Her Mother Doesn’t Believe It
It has been reported that Livia, or Sister Livia as she was referred to in The Heralds of the Gospel, was alive and conscious when she fell from her window at roughly 1:20 in the afternoon. According to her mother in the documentary series, a gardener found her lying dazed on the ground not long after, only for her to then clearly say, “Oh, I’m sorry. I don’t know what happened to me.” Zelia claims she was told her daughter then suddenly “started feeling very cold” as she had died from her injuries, which is when the religious group called a priest to perform her last rites. So, it wasn’t until 4:54 pm that they contacted the police to report the incident, just for deputies to find the 26-year-old not outside but in a hallway. As per records, her clothes had been changed, and she was wrapped in an aluminum foil blanket.
The authorities and Zelia were both informed that the Heralds’ belief was that Livia had fallen from her window while cleaning it because supplies had been found lying open in her room. Her autopsy report later revealed that while most of her wounds were consistent with an accidental fall, she also had some injuries on her right ankle, hands, and face, which is why her cause of death was ruled unkown. The religious organization’s internal medics were thus questioned, and they claimed they’d done everything in their power to help revive the young woman before declaring her passed. They stated they administered IVs, performed chest compressions, and more, following which she was moved. According to police records, from the evidence available, it was ultimately determined that her death was a complete accident as she had slipped and fallen from her window while cleaning it.
It was also hypothesized that Livia had somehow landed feet first in an attempt to break her fall before stumbling face-first into the ground, which is how she got the injuries on her ankle, hands, and face. Officials made these distinctions upon learning from those close to her that she was a bubbly, young individual of sound mind, with no enemies and no history of any mental health issues. However, as per the show, her mother doesn’t accept this verdict because she has since heard that Livia was in isolation in the months leading up to her demise, had lost a lot of weight, and had even stopped doing choir. Moreover, she was allegedly told by her ex-brother-in-law that her daughter was an “expiatory victim,” meaning she allegedly willingly sacrificed her life for “the greater good” and the life of João Clá after his 2010 stroke. According to the show, Jesus himself had allegedly asked her to be the sacrifice in a dream, so she agreed to do so upon talking with her supervisor – less than a week later, she was dead.
Livia Uchida’s Parents Have Drastically Different Opinions On Her Death
Zelia has long believed that her daughter’s demise was no accident; in fact, she thinks it was either a coerced suicide, a suicide, or a homicide because some things just do not make sense to her. As per her account, she used to visit Livia every few months to maintain their relationship, but she had noticed a lot of worrying changes in her little girl by the time the mid-2010s rolled around. Therefore, hearing all the claims about her changed behavior and her alleged dream made her suspicious, which only grew stronger once she learned that no surveillance footage had ever been reviewed. According to records, the Heralds had several cameras on the estate, but they told officials that not a single one pointed towards the direction of either Livia’s room or the courtyard where she was found. Since the investigation was already pointing one way, the lead detective admittedly never pushed for it.
Since then, Zelia has questioned the Heralds, the validity of the entire police inquiry, and retained a lawyer in the hopes of getting some satisfactory answers. Unfortunately, since security backups are limited, the surveillance footage was lost after some time, so there is no way to now analyze any day or any angle, even near the incident. On the other hand, Livia’s father wholeheartedly backs not only the Heralds’ decision to move Livia’s remains after her death but also the police investigation as well as its verdict. He believes his daughter’s death was indeed an accident, asserting in an exclusive interview that she was not depressed and did not have any other mental health issues. He further indicated that to insinuate she did was like throwing dirt on her memory and legacy, especially as she was deemed a Saint by the Heralds not long after her death.
Read More: Pedro Luiz Budel: Where is the Former Member of Heralds of the Gospel Now?
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