Three Instructors Detained After Young Woman Is Launched Without Safety Rope at Ponte do Esqueleto

Overview

• Police say 21-year-old Maria Eduarda Rodrigues de Freitas was launched from about 40 meters without being connected to the static safety rope and died at the scene.
• Six people were initially detained and three men who took part in the launch had their arrests converted to preventive custody on charges of homicide with dolo eventual.
• Investigators found the main safety rope on the platform floor, are collecting testimonies and video, and are probing the disappearance of a camera that witnesses say was removed from the victim after impact.
• In depositions the instructors described a divided-check routine — “one fits, another checks” — yet could not explain who failed to attach the rope, and prosecutors say the operators lacked formal qualifications or a registered company.
• The accident has renewed scrutiny of the Ponte do Esqueleto after a 2024 federal request to block access, prompted lawmakers to file complaints over obscene social posts about the victim, and led to a proposed national law to tighten safety rules for high‑risk sports.