Maria Eduarda Rodrigues de Freitas was thrown from a 130ft high bridge in Limerira, in Sao Paulo state, Brazil on June 13 – but nre details of the horror incident have now emerged
Police investigating after a young woman was thrown to her death in Brazil at a popular bungee jump location have revealed a missing camera may hold information about her death.
Maria Eduarda Rodrigues de Freitas, known as Duda, was thrown from a 130ft high bridge in Limerira, in Sao Paulo state, Brazil, on Saturday June 13 . Footage of the horror incident showed the 21-year-old being carried to the edge of an abandoned bridge before being thrown off by two company employees – just moments later it emerged she had plunged without being attached to a rope.
São Paulo’s Civil Police have now released an update saying three people have been arrested in connection with the incident – one woman, 29, and two men, aged 25 and 27. Police also confirmed that search and seizure warrants have been executed at their addresses, with the lead investigator saying there was suggestion of the “possible suppression of relevant evidence, especially related to the disappearance of the image-capturing equipment used by the victim during the jump”.
In an update, the police said they carried out three temporary arrest warrants on Saturday after court orders were issued by the 2nd Criminal Court of Limeira, which are valid for five days. Police confirmed that warrants were served against a 29-year-old woman in Rio de Janeiro, and two men, aged 25 and 27, in Limeira and Indaiatuba, respectively. The three instructors arrested on the day of the accident remain in custody.
Along with the temporary arrests, the court also authorised the execution of search and seizure warrants at the addresses of those being investigated, with mobile phones, electronic equipment and other materials that “may contribute to clarfiyng the facts” seized. According to Andréa Levy, who is leading the investigation, the investigation so far indicates that those arrested were part of the team responsible for organising and carrying out the activity.
“During the investigation, evidence was gathered suggesting the possible suppression of relevant evidence, especially related to the disappearance of the image-capturing equipment used by the victim during the jump,” Andréa. Evidence was also found suggesting that digital content potentially relevant to solving the case had been deleted after the incident, which formed the basis for the requests for the warrants by police.
Police confirmed the investigation is looking into the possibility of the commission of intentional crimes against life, in the form of implied malice, as well as possible procedural fraud. According to the director of the Department of Judicial Police of the Interior 9, Kleber Altale, the Civil Police are continuing their investigations to fully clarify what happened, all those who may be criminally responsible and to find the camera used by Maria at the time of the fatal jump which is considered important to reconstruct what happened.
Maria’s relatives have now described their grief in an exclusive statement to the Daily Mail through an attorney, saying her sudden death had left an unbearable void. The family said: “With an immeasurable pain and a desolate heart the Rodrigues family addresses to the public in this very difficult moment, after the tragic and premature loss of our dear Maria Eduarda Rodrigues de Freitas, affectionately known as Duda, at the age of 21.”
The family statement added: “Her abrupt departure interrupts a life full of plans and dreams, leaving a deep absence in all of us who love her. Duda had many dreams for the future, she was dating and she planned to get married soon, with the desire to build her own family and give her grandparents the joy of meeting their children.” They added: “All these life projects have been ripped away.
“We greatly appreciate the support, the solidarity and the affection received from everyone, as well as the role of the press in the search for the truth and dissemination of this case,” the family said. They signed the statement simply: “With a broken heart, the Rodrigues Family.”
The abandoned bridge is now set to be demolished after years of complaints about unregulated rope-jump and bungee-style operators using the structure. Work to bring down the bridge began on Wednesday, less than a week after Duda’s death.
