Sao Paulo , Brazil ( CNN ) -- JoÃ£o Rodrigo Silva Santos did n't come home Monday night . When the former professional footballer 's wife opened the door on her way to work the next morning , she found his severed head on their front step . The head was inside a backpack , police said . Santos ' eyes and tongue had been gouged out , according to Brazilian media reports . Player stabbed , referee dismembered over soccer quarrel in Brazil . Now police in Rio de Janeiro are investigating the grisly killing , though they have n't said who they believe is behind it . Santos , 35 , was a forward for a number of mostly second-tier Rio de Janeiro football teams before retiring and opening a health foods store . His death comes at a time when football fans worldwide are shifting their focus toward Brazil , which will host the World Cup in 2014 . Late last year , the country announced it was pumping $ 900 million dollars into its security budget to make the competition `` one of the most protected sports events in history . '' World football 's ruling body FIFA had expressed concern about Brazil 's increasing crime rate , particularly in Sao Paulo . One police official told Brazil 's O Globo newspaper that authorities are investigating whether a recent post on the store 's Facebook page could be connected to the crime . The post showed surveillance footage and asked for help catching shoplifters . Police plan to compare the images to surveillance footage taken at the shop Monday night , chief homicide investigator Rafael Rangel told the newspaper . The former football player was last seen Monday night , when two suspects entered his vehicle , CNN affiliate TV Record reported . On Wednesday morning , police said they found parts of a man 's body in a river outside the city and were testing the DNA to see whether the remains belong to Santos , TV Record said . Authorities have interviewed 10 witnesses so far in the case , police said . According to local media , Santos ' wife , Geisa Silva , worked for the police in one of Rio 's shantytowns , but as a social worker giving swimming lessons to children , not as a policewoman . She told investigators she did not know of any threats made against her husband , according to TV Record . Some of Santos ' relatives and neighbors told O Globo that he did n't have any enemies and said they did n't know what could have motivated the attack . Brazil boosts World Cup security budget as crime rises . Santos started his football career when he was 16 years old , and played for several Brazilian club teams . He played for the Bangu club team from 1996 to 2005 , according to a biography on the club 's unofficial website . In 1998 , he played for Honduras ' Olimpia club . And in 2003 he played for Sweden 's Oster club , the website says . The website calls Santos a `` humble hero , '' describing how goals he scored brought victory to another club team he joined . According to the FutRio.net football news site , Santos left the field earlier this year to focus on his business . The site reported that club players in Rio de Janeiro on Wednesday honored Santos with a minute of silence . CNN 's Shasta Darlington reported from Sao Paulo . CNN 's Catherine E. Shoichet reported from Atlanta . CNN 's Kevin Gallagher contributed to this report .
NEW : Local media report that Santos left the field this year to focus on his business . Police : The former football player 's wife found his severed head on their doorstep . JoÃ£o Rodrigo Silva Santos played for mostly second-tier club teams before retiring . O Globo : Police investigate whether Facebook posts are connected to the crime .