Juliana Marins sent heartbreaking text messages to her mother before setting out on her doomed adventure in Indonesia.
“I’m not afraid,” she said before finding herself alone on the side of a cliff, screaming for help after a fatal fall from a volcano.
It took four days for rescue teams to reach the trapped woman, who was confirmed to have passed away on Tuesday, June 24.
Highlights
- Juliana Marins shared heartfelt messages to her mother before her doomed adventure in Indonesia.
- Her messages now seem like a farewell note she never meant to write.
- The 26-year-old was hiking Mount Rinjani in Indonesia when she went tumbling down the side of the volcano.
- Rescuers managed to reach her four days later.
Juliana Marins shared heartfelt messages to her mother before her doomed adventure
Image credits: ajulianamarins
The 26-year-old Brazilian tourist sent a series of text messages to her mother, Estela Marins, as she began her stay in the Southeast Asian country.
She expressed her love for her family in the texts and said she wasn’t “afraid of much” because she was raised by a woman who is not afraid to take the plunge.”
Her messages now seem like a farewell note she never meant to write.
Image credits: g1
“Mami, I love you so much. I was heartbroken when we said goodbye,” read the text messages, obtained by Brazilian news program Fantástico, as reported by The Sun.
“In fact, that’s the only thing that worries me: letting you, papi, or my sister be disappointed,” she continued. “Other than that, I’m not afraid of much, much less trouble.”
Juliana fell more than 1,600 feet down a cliff while hiking Mount Rinjani in Indonesia
Image credits: g1
The backpacker praised her mother's fearless nature and for raising her to be the same.
“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. I am like that too. I have different desires and dreams,” she said.
“I love you all very much! And I will always be grateful for all the support, care, and affection,” she continued. “That is what makes me not afraid.”
“I love you all very much! And I will always be grateful,” she texted her mother
Image credits: ajulianamarins
On June 21, Juliana was hiking up Mount Rinjani with a group of tourists when she slipped and fell down the side of the volcano.
She initially fell about 490 feet (nearly 150 meters) down the cliff and later slipped to more than 1,600 feet (more than 487 meters) down.
Image credits: ajulianamarins
Her family blamed the rescue team for “negligence.” They believe the daughter could have survived if help had reached her sooner.
“Juliana suffered great negligence on the part of the rescue team,” the family wrote on social media last week.
“If the team had reached her within the estimated time of 7 hours, Juliana would still be alive,” they added.
Juliana’s family believes she could have survived if help had arrived sooner
Image credits: g1
They also blamed the group’s guide, Ali Musthofa, for abandoning her.
“Juliana was in this group, but she got very tired and asked to stop for a while,” her sister Mariana Marins wrote in a post. “They kept going, and the guide didn’t stay with her.”
“She didn’t know where to go, she didn’t know what to do. When the guide came back, because he saw that she was taking too long, he saw that she had fallen down there,” the sister continued.
Image credits: ajulianamarins
However, the 20-year-old guide denied claims of abandoning her and said he was only ahead of her for three minutes.
“Actually, I didn’t leave her, but I waited three minutes in front of her. After about 15 or 30 minutes, Juliana didn’t show up,” he told O Globo.
“I looked for her at the last resting place, but I couldn’t find her,” Ali added. “I told her I would wait for her ahead. I told her to rest.”
Guide Ali Musthofa denied abandoning the tourist and said he realized she had fallen when he heard her screams
Image credits: ajulianamarins
Within moments, he began hearing the voice of a woman screaming for help.
“I realized [she had fallen] when I saw the light of a flashlight on a ravine about 150 meters deep and heard Juliana's voice calling for help,” he told the outlet. “I told her I would help her. I tried desperately to tell Juliana to wait for help.”
Image credits: Brazil Urgente
Juliana’s body was finally recovered on June 24 by Agam Rinjani, a trekking guide who led a group down the volcano’s dangerous slopes.
“He’s the one who assembled a team to go after Juliana while the government did nothing,” read a viral post online.
Local trekking guide Agam Rinjani was hailed as a hero for leading the team that retrieved Juliana's body
Image credits: agam_rinjani
“He’s the one who descended the volcano to retrieve her body. And it was he who carried Juliana back up,” the post continued. “He deserves our gratitude—not the Indonesian government.”
Agam received plenty of love and praise from across the world for stepping in.
Image credits: agam_rinjani
“While many watched from afar, he climbed back carrying the weight of her body, of exhaustion, and of a grieving Brazil on his shoulders,” read a poem dedicated to the trekking guide that circulated online.
It was reported that Juliana’s body would reach Brazil on Tuesday, July 1.
The Brazilian government is expected to conduct a second autopsy on her body.
A second autopsy on Juliana's body is expected to take place in Brazil
Image credits: g1
The first autopsy was done in Bali, Indonesia, and found that she passed away from trauma within 20 minutes.
However, many have poked holes in the findings because of witness accounts and drone footage that caught her alive.
“Following her story was heartbreaking,” one commented online
