Harrowing CCTV footage shows a 26-year-old mother of two, Renata Rebeca Negrão Saldanha dos Santos, falling to her death from the seventh floor of the Rio Poty Hotel in São Luís, Brazil. The incident occurred around 1:30 a.m. on Tuesday.
The video shows dos Santos walking with her boyfriend in the hotel corridor. She leans against the wall near a window, then puts her weight on the window itself. The aluminum frame gives way, and she falls through.
Her boyfriend, who has not been identified, is seen staring at the open window before sticking his head through. A hotel staff member approaches after hearing a commotion. Police are investigating the incident as an accident and have questioned, then released, the boyfriend, who stated he was drunk at the time.
"There was no push. He wasn't even close to her," said police chief George Marques, noting no signs of aggression were found. Investigators have examined the window frame, and preliminary findings indicate no technical conclusions could be made about what caused it to detach or any irregularities.
Dos Santos, from Ananindeua, had been in São Luís with her boyfriend since October 28 and was scheduled to return home on Tuesday. She leaves behind two children, one of whom is four years old. Her body has been sent to her hometown for her family to arrange services.
"My daughter went out to have fun, and I'm receiving her inside a coffin," her mother, Betty Negrão, told local media. Loved ones have paid tribute to her on social media, with one person writing, "It's going to be very difficult for this to sink in."
A crowdfunding page has been established by her family to assist with bringing her body home.
The Rio Poty Hotel issued a statement expressing condolences and solidarity with dos Santos's family and friends during their time of grief.