A glamorous Brazilian influencer was killed when she fell from her 10th floor apartment late last month, with authorities now investigating whether her husband may have been responsible.
Maria Katiane Gomes da Silva, 25, was found dead in her husband Alex Leandro Bispo dos Santos’ arms on November 29 after neighbors reported to Military Police that they heard screams followed by a thud, local outlet O Globo reports.
Dos Santos, 40, then claimed da Silva, a mother-of-one who had over 22,000 followers on TikTok and more than 6,000 followers on Instagram, died by suicide at their Sao Paulo high-rise following an argument that they had.
Still, authorities ruled her death as suspicious and the Homicide and Personal Protection Department in coordination with the local police department started analyzing security footage from the building and inside the apartment itself.
In the footage, dos Santos could be seen allegedly punching da Silva in the parking lot the night of her death and later arguing with her inside an elevator, according to O Globo.
At one point, dos Santos could be seen apparently attempting to grab da Silva’s neck.
Less than two minutes later, he pulled her out of the elevator despite her efforts to hold onto the elevator’s doors, according to g1.
Soon, dos Santos returns to the elevator, where he could be seen sitting with his hands on his head.
Maria Katiane Gomes da Silva, 25, was found dead after falling from a 10th story apartment in Sao Paulo on November 29
Her husband Alex Leandro Bispo dos Santos, 40, has been taken into custody on a temporary warrant while authorities investigate whether he committed femicide
But at her wake and burial in Ceara on December 1, dos Santos was seen apparently embracing her coffin in photos and videos that circulated online.
He was taken into custody on a temporary warrant just over a week later, while authorities continue to investigate whether the case constitutes femicide.
Da Silva had maintained a major following on both TikTok and Instagram as she shared lifestyle and makeup content.
She was born and raised in a rural district of Crateus, before she moved to Sao Paulo, where she met and married dos Santos, according to g1.
Her last post on Instagram came on November 8, when she shared a video of herself preparing an energy drink.
Following da Silva’s untimely death, her aunt expressed ‘indignation’ and pain on social media as she claimed that dos Santos was ‘possessive.’
‘She can no longer speak because her voice was silenced by a man who claimed to love her, when it was all just a feeling of possession, a sick feeling,’ the aunt wrote, per O Globo.
‘Today, as her aunt, my heart is heavy, filled with indignation and so is her mother and our entire family.
‘We demand justice for Katiane Gomes,’ she concluded.
