Rio De Janeiro authorities have arrested a man for his suspected involvement in the murder of Christiane Louise, known for her work as the voice actress for Cortana in Brazilian localizations of the Halo series. Aside from voicing Cortana, Louise also voiced Overwatch character Mercy, Sivir in League of Legends, and Helen Lovejoy in The Simpsons.
Serving as the AI companion to the protagonist Master Chief in the Halo franchise, Cortana plays a prominent role supporting the player throughout the games and is expected to return with the release of Halo Infinite in Fall 2021. A hidden audio file discovered by fans in February has hinted that Cortana will be Halo Infinite's villain, continuing the story laid out by developer 343 Industries in Halo 5: Guardians. As revealed at E3 2021, the game's campaign will also bring back longtime Cortana voice actress Jen Taylor as a new AI character called The Weapon for the English version of Halo Infinite.
As reported by Game Rant, a man has been arrested on suspicion of his involvement in the murder of Brazilian voice actress Christiane Louise, whose body was found on July 22. The suspect, Pedro Paulo Gonçalves Vasconcellos da Costa, was taken into custody after offering a confession to police. The confession claims that his actions were performed in self-defense. Police investigation has contradicted da Costa’s initial claim, and it's speculated that his motive for the murder was to claim Louise’s property and inheritance. He reportedly enlisted the help of his mother, Eliane Gonçalves Vasconcellos da Costa, and a third yet unidentified suspect to hide Louise's body. Although the investigation is still ongoing at press time, his mother and the third suspect are not in custody.
It is uncertain whether Louise’s voice will appear posthumously in Overwatch’s upcoming sequel or other future games like Halo Infinite. Voice lines apparently haven't been recorded for the possibly delayed Overwatch 2, according to Genji Korean actor Gaku Space. As a prominent voice actress, Christiane Louise’s passing has been met with an outpouring of fan support for her family and loved ones. On Twitter, the hashtag "#HeroesNeverDie" was used by Overwatch fans mourning the performer's death, referencing a Mercy voice line.
2021 has seen the loss of other talented actors in the gaming industry, including Resident Evil 8 Cassandra Dimitrescu voice actress Jeanette Maus. While light in the gaming community glows a little dimmer with the untimely death of Christiane Louise, her legacy lives on through her memorable contributions in giving many beloved characters a voice.
Source: Game Rant, Draugoth/Twitter