The fallout from a fatal rope jumping tragedy is getting bigger, as more suspects were arrested in the case of Maria Eduarda Rodrigues de Freitas’s passing.
The 21-year-old Rio de Janeiro woman trusted a set of rope jumping instructors with her life. But seconds later, she was gone.
A criminal case was launched after the jump went catastrophically wrong.
Highlights
- The case of Maria Eduarda Rodrigues de Freitas’ passing appeared to be getting bigger, with three more arrests.
- The 21-year-old Rio de Janeiro woman was tossed from a bridge in Brazil without safety ropes.
- A total of six people have been arrested in the case so far.
- The three new suspects were allegedly at the base of the rope jumping site on the day of the doomed jump.
The fallout from Maria Eduarda Rodrigues de Freitas’ fatal rope jumping tragedy is getting bigger
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Three more people were arrested in the case of Maria Eduarda Rodrigues de Freitas, who lost her life after being tossed off the “Skeleton Bridge” at Ponte do Esqueleto in Brazil’s São Paulo state on June 13.
A 29-year-old Rio de Janeiro woman named Evelyne dos Santos Gonçalves, a 25-year-old man from Limeira, and a 27-year-old man from Indaiatuba were the latest additions to the growing list of suspects.
The location of their arrest was unclear.
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On the day of Maria’s fatal fall, the three additional suspects were allegedly at the base of the rope jumping site, waiting for her so they could remove the safety gear.
But when the jump went catastrophically wrong, they fled to a nearby wooded area and allegedly tried to conceal evidence.
“They didn't have a typical or active role in the jump. They only participated at the moment the jump ended,” lawyer Vitor Aurélio, representing one of the suspects, told G1.
“One would pull the rope back up, and the other would just take the rope off the jumper.”
Three new people, who were allegedly at the base of the site, were arrested over the weekend
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The latest arrests took the suspect count to six so far.
Luis Felipe Feliciano Egoroff, 32, Vitor de Freitas Goncalves, 27, and Maicon Fernandes Cintra, 42, were arrested the day after Maria’s passing and were charged with homicide with eventual intent.
The three had attempted to flee after Maria plummeted to her tragic end, but a military helicopter tracked them down.
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The homes of all six suspects are expected to be searched as part of the investigation.
It is believed Maria’s final moments were recorded on a GoPro she was wearing when three instructors tossed her off the bridge without ensuring she was attached to safety ropes.
Investigators believe someone took the camera off her after she plunged 130 feet.
One video that circulated online captured Maria with three instructors on top of the bridge, moments before the fall.
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A viral video on social media reportedly captured the final moments before the tragedy, where three employees were seen carrying Maria toward the jumping structure.
The instructors hoisted her above their shoulders as she spread her arms out in a “Superman” pose. Unfortunately, nobody allegedly remembered to attach her to the safety ropes.
Moments later, they launched her from the platform without realizing the mistake.
“The rope!” one was heard shouting.
Another panic-stricken voice said, “Guys, the rope!”
The three instructors who tossed Maria off the bridge claimed they “blacked out” and couldn’t remember who was responsible for attaching her to safety ropes
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Cops accused the three additional suspects, who were arrested over the weekend, of deleting digital content of what happened during Maria’s doomed rope jumping experience.
“During the investigation, elements were gathered that indicate possible suppression of evidence relevant to the investigation, especially related to the disappearance of the image capture equipment used by the victim during the jump,” Civil Police Delegate Andréa Levy was quoted telling news outlets.
A witness named Rafael Goulart also claimed to have seen someone take the camera.
“I saw the girl on the ground, [I saw] one of the employees removing the GoPro camera from the neck strap of the body that was already on the ground, either worried about the equipment or wanting to hide evidence,” the witness reportedly said.
Maria had a special request for her instructors and asked them to launch her from the bridge in airplane style
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On the morning of her planned jump, Maria wrote a message on social media that will forever haunt her jumping instructors for the rest of their lives.
“Who was the crazy person who let me jump off a bridge?” she wrote.
She was laid to rest on June 14.
The three instructors on top of the bridge claimed after their arrest that they couldn’t remember who was supposed to attach the ropes.
“They do not remember whether they forgot to attach (the ropes), or who was supposed to do it, or who failed to check. But the fact is the ropes were not attached to her,” Police investigator Andrea Dantas Levy told AP News.
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Suspects Luis, Vitor, and Maicon claimed they “blacked out” and couldn’t remember who was responsible for ensuring Maria was securely attached to the safety ropes.
“Either it’s me or [Maicon] who does it. So I went ahead first, and after that it’s all erased from my mind,” Luis told EPTV. “...I don’t remember.”
Luis and a few other instructors reportedly made a disturbing video four years ago, where they tossed a black bag made to look like a corpse off the “Skeleton Bridge.”
“Hiding the body,” read the title of the September 2022 video.
The bridge had been abandoned for years, but tourists in the municipality of Limeira would often visit the site for extreme sports.
Following Maria's passing, authorities said the bridge will be demolished to prevent similar tragedies from taking place.
“All of a sudden no one remembers anything or how they forgot to put it on,” one commented online
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