Rio de Janeiro - Officials investigating the case of a man who confessed to killing 42 people over the course of nine years said on Friday that his statements must be closely scrutinised.
Psychiatrists told national media outlets that Sailson Jose das Gracas, 26, could possibly have produced some of the murders he confessed to in his imagination.
Sailson also claimed to have told his partner the details of the killings, which psychiatrists said was uncharacteristic of a serial murderer.
The gruesome confession came after police arrested Sailson on Thursday for allegedly stabbing a woman in Nova Iguacu, a suburb of Rio de Janeiro.
Sailson subsequently confessed to killing 43 people, 38 of whom were women, the city's police commissioner told the daily O Globo. While police said there is evidence Sailson was involved in three other murders, they are investigating all of the murders he claims to have committed.
According to police, Sailson targeted mostly white women, studying their daily habits in order to attack them in their homes. - Sapa-dpa