The mother of banned marathoner Daniel do Nascimento has made an emotional plea to help locate her son who she says has been missing for over a month and could be dealing with “psychological issues.”
In a social media post on Monday, Valdirene Paula Ferreira said that do Nascimento, 28, left the family home in Paraguacu Paulista in São Paulo, Brazil on June 19 with a black backpack and never returned. Despite not hearing from do Nascimento for more than a month, the family officially reported his disappearance to police on Monday, a day before his birthday.
“Does anyone have any information about my son? His name is Daniel Nascimento, better known by the nickname ‘Armero.’ He was a marathon runner… (He suffers from psychological issues.),” Ferreira’s message read according to a translation.
Do Nascimento was issued a five-year by the Athletics Integrity Unit in May 2025 after an out-of-competition sample from 2024 revealed the presence of drostanolone, metenolone and nandrolone — all banned substances. The drugs are S1 anabolic steroid class and are anabolic hormones used to build strength, muscle and speed up recovery. They are also metabolites, a product of metabolism, which can be use to trigger greater energy output and all on the World Anti-Doping Agency’s list of banned items.
If he were eligible to compete in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, his ban runs through the end of July 2028 and overlaps with the start of the Games.
The last public statement on behalf of do Nascimento from his representatives came on July 16, 2024 when they posted a note on his social media account addressing the positive test earlier that month following a training session in Kenya that prevented him from appearing at the Paris Olympics. The message referenced the mental toll he faced to perform at some of the biggest races in his career.
“Mental health is vital for any professional to perform well in their field, and Daniel has been grappling with traumas and mental health issues that have brought him to his lowest point in recent months,” the statement read. “The emotional toll is immense right now; our duty is to provide full support for his psychological recovery and bring back the smile that captivated the world at Tokyo 2020.”
Prior to the positive test do Nascimento hoped to be a factor in the Paris Games after qualifying for Brazil’s national team with a 2:07:06 at the 2023 Hamburg Marathon and believed he would still compete in the Olympics despite receiving a provisional suspension. Only July 20, 2024 — days before the start of the Paris Games — his manager Flavio Schuler told Brazil’s doping control authority Autoridade Brasileira de Controle de Dopagem that they needed an emergency 30-day extension to reply to the findings of the test.
But after being contacted by the AIU several times, Schuler said do Nascimento was dealing with mental health issues and was unable to cooperate with the investigation and possible appeal. In February 2025, do Nascimento told the AIU he could not explain why the substances trigged a positive test and accepted a six-year ban but was given a one year reduction for acknowledging the 2024 failure.
Do Nascimento drew a wave of attention at the 2022 New York City Marathon when he soared through the early miles at world record pace but collapsed at mile 20 and did not finish. His personal best came that same year at the Seoul Marathon in April 2022 where he finished third in 2:04:51, the South American marathon record, behind Mosinet Geremew’s 2:04:43 course record and Herpasa Negasa who was second in 2:04:49.
On Tuesday, do Nascimento’s birthday, Ferreira shared a post showing them smiling together at a park as she hoped for him to come back home.
“Congratulations, Daniel. Come back home — may God bless and light your path and bring you home safely. Happy birthday.”
