Document reveals dead end in investigation of UFC vet Thiago Silva

The domestic abuse case against Thiago Silva withered after he was granted bail in a Florida court, a new document shows.

Silva’s estranged wife, Thaysa Silva, became unresponsive to investigators before fleeing the country in July. Her departure left prosecutors little choice but to dismiss the case against the now-UFC fighter, according to a memo from the Florida State Attorney’s office obtained by MMAjunkie.

The document, which Deadspin.com first obtained, can be viewed here (.pdf).

Thiago Silva, 31, was reinstated into the UFC shortly after word of the dismissal and seven months after a now-infamous standoff with Thaysa Silva and her then-boyfriend, Pablo Popovich, that resulted in his arrest.

The fighter appeared Monday on “The MMA Hour” and denied the charges against him, claiming his wife fabricated the charges. Popovitch released a statement following the standoff that alleged his ex-wife provoked the fighter to attack them after sending text messages detailing their relationship.

In court, Thiago Silva was charged with two counts of aggravated assault with a firearm after initially being charged with attempted murder. At the March bail hearing, Thaysa Silva detailed the allegations against the fighter and said he put a pistol to her head and threw her on a sofa. Several people came to his defense, including Popovich’s ex-wife Fabianna and former UFC champ Rashad Evans.

According to the memo, Thaysa Silva became “extremely emotional” and “clearly upset” when her husband was granted bail. After being briefed on the court’s process by the state’s attorney, she was escorted back to the home where the alleged abuse took place.

She later became more erratic in her dealings with the state attorney’s office. In April, Pablo Popovitch – reportedly under the direction of Thaysa – said the two wanted to press additional charges against Thiago, but Thaysa refused to speak directly with a rep. One month later, she dismissed the injunction against her husband, and efforts by the office and the lead investigator on the case were unsuccessful.

In June, prosecutors learned that Silva had hired a lawyer to advise her of her right to leave the country.

“Ms. Silva emphatically stated that she was moving back to Brazil, and was only in town to retrieve her personal belongings and her dog,” according to the lawyer she hired.

When the case’s lead investigator returned to Thaysa’s home in late August, neighbors said she had moved back to her native Brazil more than a month prior.

“Ms. Silva has voluntarily removed herself from this jurisdiction, and out of the country, thereby resulting in the state’s inability to present prima facie evidence for the crimes charged,” stated the memo, which was signed by assistant state attorney Vegina Hawkins and Barbara Mitchell-Driscoll of the state attorney’s domestic violence unit.

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