A backpacker tragically died after a tour guide left her behind when she fell into a volcano in Indonesia, with one haunting photograph capturing her final moments.
Juliana Marins, 26, sent her mother a heartbreaking text message at the beginning of her South East Asian adventure.
Juliana slipped and plunged nearly 1,000 feet while climbing Mount Rinjani in Lombok on a guided hike on 21 June 2025 at approximately 6.30am.
The publicist and pole dancer, originally from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, vanished after falling into the crater – with her body ultimately recovered following a four-day search operation.
Local police disclosed that Juliana had paused to rest due to exhaustion while the guide continued ahead with the rest of the group. Tragically, she was discovered dead upon his return, reports the Daily Star.
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The last photo of Brazilian tourist, 26-year-old Juliana Marins (Image: X)
It emerged Juliana told Estela Marins she was “fearless” and said she was determined to pursue her dreams.
In a message broadcast on Brazilian programme Fantastico, Juliana wrote: “Mami, I love you so much. I was heartbroken when we said goodbye.
“In fact, that’s the only thing that worries me: letting you, papi or my sister be disappointed. Other than that, I’m not afraid of much, much less trouble.”
Juliana fell over 1,000 feet (Image: Jam Press)
She said she had no fear of life’s hardships, crediting her upbringing by a strong woman.
“I was raised by a woman who can solve any problem and who is not afraid to take the plunge and go after her dreams,” Juliana texted, according to the BBC.
“I am like that too. I have different desires and dreams. I love you all very much! And I will always be grateful for all the support, care and affection. That is what makes me fearless.”
The preliminary post-mortem examination was conducted at a hospital in Bali on 26th June. The coroner determined that her death was caused by “trauma” – and that she would have died within 20 minutes.
She was found to have sustained severe fractures and haemorrhaging.
However, the precise timing of the fatal injury remains uncertain, as between the moment she fell and the day before her body was discovered, she was heard screaming and spotted on drone footage, still alive.
Agam Rinjani, a volunteer who headed one of the rescue teams, told O Globo that once they located her, the team remained with Marins overnight on the edge of a 500-metre cliff.
They were on their second day of exploring Mount Rinjani (Image: Jam Press)
Juliana’s family condemned the rescue operation as “botched” and claimed the tour guide had abandoned her.
Her sister, Mariana Marins, said: “Juliana was in this group, but she got very tired and asked to stop for a while. They kept going, and the guide didn’t stay with her.”
Brazil’s Foreign Ministry described her death as a tragedy, confirming that the country’s embassy in Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia, had coordinated the rescue effort alongside local authorities. Officials declined to confirm the exact time of her death.
The search and rescue operation for Julia (Image: AP)
In an Instagram post, Juliana’s family conveyed their heartfelt thanks to the vast number of Brazilians who had prayed for their daughter’s safety. J
uliana had been living in Niteroi, on the outskirts of Rio de Janeiro, and had been journeying across Asia, having previously visited the Philippines, Vietnam and Thailand before making her way to Indonesia.
A total of 50 people were deployed in the rescue operation, search and rescue chief Mohammad Syaffi confirmed in a statement, noting that poor visibility and treacherous terrain made the effort particularly challenging.
She worked as a publicist (Image: Jam Press)
The 3,726m volcano draws thousands of visitors every year.
Several climbers have lost their lives attempting to scale it in recent years — amongst them a Malaysian tourist just last month, according to Reuters news agency.
