One of the bungee jump instructors charged with killing a student in Brazil was allegedly seen removing a GoPro camera from her body after she was thrown 130 feet to her death, according to a witness.
Maria Eduarda Rodrigues de Freitas, 21, paid extra for the camera when she signed up for the Saturday jump from “Skeleton Bridge” in Limeira that ended with her plummeting to her death without a rope.
“I remember … seeing one of the employees taking the [camera] handle off the neck, from the body that was already on the floor, the GoPro camera,” Rafael Goulard, who was waiting to jump after de Freitas, told Brazilian TV station EPTV.
He added that it wasn’t clear if the camera was removed due to “concern[s] about the equipment, to hide evidence, or worrie[s] about the [camera’s] financial value.”
De Freitas paid roughly $35 for the unlicensed rope jump and an additional $30 to carry the small action cam to record a 360-degree video of her during the stunt, according to Brazilian media.
The camera was clearly visible in the victim’s hands as she prepared to be thrown off the bridge, but is still missing, despite a thorough search of the area, according to the Brazilian police’s incident report.
Three of the instructors at the site, who were filmed in the video throwing de Freitas over the ledge, have been arrested and charged in relation to her death.
Luis Felipe Feliciano Egoroff, 32, Vitor de Freitas Gonçalves, 27, and Maicon Fernandes Cintra, 42, all appeared disoriented and confused following the shocking incident, Goulard said.
“They were in a catatonic state. I don’t know if I don’t know if I don’t understand what they had done or just worried about hiding or running away,” he said.
Goulard said he saw other employees at the site collecting equipment and rushing them to a nearby car following the death, some of them even changing their clothes.
Two of the three attempted to escape and had to be tracked down with a military helicopter by police.
Goulard said it wasn’t clear which of the three allegedly stole the camera.
None of the three primary suspects could give a clear answer on who was supposed to be in charge during the incident.
The case remains under investigation by the police, who consider the missing GoPro to be a key piece of evidence, according to Brazilian media.
Three other employees were briefly arrested but later released without charge.
