Who is Maria Eduarda Rodrigues de Freitas: Chilling post revealed as three arrested over 40m rope jump tragedy
A chilling social media post shared by Maria Eduarda Rodrigues de Freitas just hours before she plunged 40 metres to her death from a bridge has resurfaced as authorities arrest three men.
WARNING: Disturbing footage
A chilling social media post shared by Maria Eduarda Rodrigues de Freitas just hours before she plunged 40 metres to her death from a bridge in Brazil has resurfaced as authorities investigate the botched rope-jump.
The revelations come as police arrested thee men over the tragedy that allegedly saw the 21-year-old launched from Ponte do Esqueleto, or “Skeleton Bridge”, in Limeria, Sao Paulo State without being attached to a safety rope.
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By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.Shocking footage of the incident, which has since gone viral, shows Ms Freitas being carried to the edge of the bridge by instructors before being thrown into the air.
Witnesses can be heard screaming that the safety rope had not been attached moments before she was tossed from the bridge. “The rope, people, the rope!”, voices in the background said.
Ms Freitas was pronounced dead by paramedics who rushed to the scene to find she had suffered multiple fractures.
In her final posts to social media, Ms freitas appeared excited and in good spirits as she documented photos and videos of her wristbands, Brazillian news outlets report.
In a chilling twist, alongside a photo of the company banner “Entre Cordas”, she joked about being allowed to go through with the thrill-seeking activity.
“Who was the crazy person who let me jump off a bridge?”, she wrote.
Ms Freitas was living in Jandira in Greater São Paulo and held a degree in Physical Education and Sports Management.
Her former professor, Valdinei Barbosatold, local outlet G1 that she had a bright future ahead in the sports education field.
“She always said, ‘Professor, when I leave here I’m going to be a Physical Education teacher.’ And I always encouraged her, because she had the profile for it,” he said.
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She often posted photos of nature and outdoor activities to her social media accounts.
Authorities have arrested three men who are reportedly under investigation while police continue examining if serious safety breaches contributed to the tragedy.
Luis Felipe Feliciano Egoroff, 32, Vitor de Freitas Gonçalves, 27, and Maicon Fernandes Cintra, 42, are now facing charges of homicide with implied malice, G1 reports.
It is further alleged the three instructors changed their clothes and fled the scene but were arrested a short time later at the Ponte do Esqueleto trail.
The trio are being held in preventitive detention following a custody hearing on Sunday, news.com.au reports.
Police officer Andréa Dantas said the two men in charge of preparing Ms de Freitas for the jump stated that they did not remember what happened moments before the fall.
“They can’t remember what the mistake was there, who should have put the rope in place, if there was no supervision. They can’t remember,” outlet Cidade On reported.
Footage of earlier jumps at the same location have begun circulating online in wake of the devastating incident.
One video shows a woman being secured to safety ropes as she is carried in a superman pose by two workers as she is launched off the edge of the bridge.
“POV: Would you rather admit you’re wrong or be thrown off a bridge?” the video text reads. “ME: Say nothing more,” the post’s caption reads.
