Celso Daniel

Sérgio Gomes da Silva was later indicted and accused of being the mastermind of the assassination in connection with the corruption scheme. He died of natural causes in 2016.

Celso Daniel was kidnapped on January 18, 2002 while leaving a restaurant late at night in the neighborhood of Jardins, in São Paulo. He left the restaurant in an armoured Pajero driven by his former body-guard Sérgio Gomes da Silva, nicknamed Sombra ("Shadow"). The car was followed by kidnappers in other cars, and near the number 393 of Rua Antônio Bezerra, in the neighborhood of Sacomã, the cars managed to block their path. Shots were fired against the tires and the glasses; Da Silva, who was the driver, said that at that moment the brakes and the transmission didn't work. According to him, the armed criminals opened the door of the car, grabbed the mayor and took him away, while he stayed in the area and remained unscathed.

The São Paulo police concluded their investigation on April 1, 2002. According to their final report, presented by Armando de Oliveira Costa Filho of the Department of Homicide (DHPP), six individuals of a criminal gang from a favela called Pantanal in the southern part of São Paulo committed the crime. One of the accused, a minor, confessed to having shot the mayor.

The member of the criminal band were identified as: Rodolfo Rodrigo de Souza Oliveira (Bozinho), José Édson da Silva (Édson), Itamar Messias Silva dos Santos (Itamar), Marcos Roberto Bispo dos Santos (Marquinhos), and Elcyd Oliveira Brito (John). The leader of the group was identified as Ivan Rodrigues da Silva (Monstro, "Monster" in Portuguese). The area of his captivity was chosen by Édson, who had rented a spot in the city of Juquitiba for this purpose. Two cars were stolen for the kidnapping, a Chevrolet S-10 Blazer and a Volkswagen Santana. The gang assembled on January 17, 2002 and decided that the kidnapping would take place the following day.

In the afternoon of January 18, 2002, Monstro and Marquinhos left in one car and the other members in another; Monstro coordinated the operation with a cell phone. The members in the second car began to pursue the businessman they hoped to detain, but lost sight of his vehicle; Monstro then ordered them to abort the planned action and seize the passenger of the first expensive foreign car they encountered. The criminals continued to drive through the area and chose the Pajero of Celso Daniel and Sérgio Gomes as their target.

The family continued to press the authorities to reopen the case, and on August 5, 2002, the São Paulo State Attorney General agreed to launch a reopening.

A civil engineer who graduated in 1973 from the Engenharia Mauá School, in São Caetano do Sul, he followed an academic career and obtained a master's degree in Public Administration from the Fundação Getúlio Vargas (FGV-SP) and a doctorate in Political Science from the Pontifícia Universidade Católica (PUC-SP). He acted later as a teacher in both universities. As mayor he was connected to the United Nations Urban Management Programme.

Celso Augusto Daniel (April 16, 1951 – January 18, 2002) was the mayor in 2002 for the third time (72% of votes) of the city of Santo André in São Paulo, Brazil, as a representative of the Workers' Party (PT). He was kidnapped and assassinated in the same year.