CCTV Captures Horrifying Moment 26-Year-Old Woman Falls Seven Floors to Her Death as Boyfriend Stands Frozen in Shock

A 26-year-old woman died after falling from a seventh-floor hotel window in São Luís, north-eastern Brazil, with CCTV capturing the moments before the structure gave way and the fatal fall.

Renata Rebeca Negrão Saldanha dos Santos fell at the Rio Poty Hotel in the early hours of Tuesday, 3 November. Police are treating her death as accidental, but the precise reason the aluminium window structure became detached has not yet been established.

The footage also shows her boyfriend in the corridor after the fall. Investigators have questioned him, but he was released and has not been identified as a suspect.

CCTV Records the Moments Before the Fatal Fall

The hotel surveillance footage shows Renata sitting on the window frame while speaking with her boyfriend. She then leans backwards against the aluminium structure, which appears to give way, sending her falling from the seventh floor.

Her boyfriend remains in the corridor for several moments before hotel staff approach him. Police have said their review of the recordings found no indication that he pushed her or that an assault took place. He was not standing beside her when the structure detached.

The footage provides investigators with a record of the moments surrounding the fall, but it does not establish why the window came loose.

Forensic Examination to Establish Why the Window Detached

The Maranhão State Secretariat for Public Security said technical examinations were needed before investigators could determine what caused the structure to detach or whether any irregularities were involved. 'So far, there are no technical conclusions that allow us to determine what caused the structure to detach or to point out any irregularities,' the department said.

The findings are significant because the footage shows the structure failing, but not what may have caused that failure. Investigators have not established whether the detachment resulted from a defect, deterioration, an installation issue or another factor. The Rio Poty Hotel expressed condolences to Renata's family and friends, saying it was in solidarity with them and cooperating with the authorities.

Boyfriend Questioned and Released as Police Continue Inquiry

Renata and her boyfriend were from the Brazilian state of Pará and had travelled to São Luís on 28 October. Local reports said they were in the city for a poker tournament.

Police questioned the boyfriend as part of the investigation. He was subsequently released and was not named as a suspect. Investigators have not publicly attributed responsibility for the fall to him.

Reports also said the couple had consumed alcohol before the incident. That detail does not establish that intoxication caused the structure to fail or contributed to Renata's death.

The investigation now centres on establishing the circumstances of the fall and the technical reason the window structure became detached. Until the forensic work is complete, the precise cause remains undetermined.