25-Year-Old Influencer Found Dead in Her Husband's Arms at the Bottom of Their High-Rise Apartment

A glamorous young influencer plunged to her death from a São Paulo high-rise. Now her husband's twisted story is crumbling under the weight of chilling surveillance footage.

On November 29, 2025, Maria Katiane Gomes da Silva, a 25-year-old digital creator with a growing fanbase, was found dead on the pavement below her tenth-floor apartment in São Paulo's upscale Morumbi neighborhood.

When emergency services arrived, her husband, 40-year-old Alex Leandro Bispo dos Santos, was hugging her body, distraught and claiming she had taken her own life following an argument.

Security Cameras Capture the Violence Before the Fall

Authorities initially classified the death as suspicious. Neighbors had called emergency services after reporting screams coming from the apartment, followed by the sound of a body hitting the ground. What police would later uncover turned the case into a suspected act of femicide.

Although dos Santos had told investigators that da Silva had jumped, security footage from the building's common areas and inside the couple's apartment told a very different story.

Video from the parking garage showed dos Santos punching da Silva. Inside the elevator, footage captured a heated argument, with dos Santos appearing to grab at her neck. When the elevator doors opened, da Silva tried to resist, clutching the doors as dos Santos violently pulled her out.

About one minute later, dos Santos returned to the elevator alone. He sat on the floor and placed his hands on his head, appearing distressed. The recordings directly contradicted his initial account and prompted investigators to escalate the case.

Arrested for Femicide as Police Reassess the Death

With mounting evidence, the Department of Homicide and Protection of Persons (DHPP), working alongside the 89th Police District in Jardim Taboão, moved swiftly. On Tuesday, December 9, just ten days after da Silva's death, they secured a warrant and arrested dos Santos.

Dos Santos is now formally charged with femicide, defined under Brazilian law as the killing of a woman due to gender-based violence. In an official statement, the Public Security Department confirmed that forensic examinations and additional investigative steps are ongoing to fully clarify what happened.

From Small-Town Girl to Online Sensation

Da Silva was originally from the Realejo district, a rural area of Crateús in the northeastern state of Ceará. Before moving to São Paulo, she worked at a supermarket and a restaurant, hoping to build a better future.

In the capital, she began dedicating herself to social media, sharing travel moments, makeup tutorials, fitness routines, and daily life content, often alongside her husband. Friends later described the relationship as marked by aggression.

Her final Instagram post, shared on November 8, showed da Silva standing in her living room dressed in black workout clothes, preparing what appeared to be a pre-workout supplement.

The caption read, "Where does all the energy to train every day come from? ME." The clip ends with her playfully acting out the answer, a moment now frozen in time.

A Mother Torn from Her Daughter and a Town in Mourning

Though da Silva had moved to São Paulo, her heart never left Crateús. Her young daughter stayed behind with da Silva's mother, and the two remained deeply connected. da Silva visited often, never letting go of her family ties.

The girl attends Sônia Burgos School, which released a statement expressing condolences and solidarity with the family, describing the loss as devastating.

A Public Display of Grief That Now Raises Questions

Dos Santos, still a free man at the time, traveled to Ceará for da Silva's wake and burial on December 1, in the interior of Ceará. Images from the service showed him crying as he knelt beside her coffin, a scene that drew sympathy at the time.

In light of the investigation and the security footage, that public display of grief has since been reexamined with growing suspicion.

A Family's Fury and a Demand for Justice

Da Silva's family has been vocal and unrelenting in their demand for justice. In an online statement, her aunt said the family was desperate for justice, describing her niece as a woman whose voice had been "silenced by a man who claimed to love her."

She insisted it was never love — it was control, a sick obsession. Speaking with raw emotion, she said her heart ached with indignation, and that both da Silva's mother and the rest of the family were united in their demand for accountability.

The case has struck a deep chord both in São Paulo and in da Silva's hometown, with friends, fans, and strangers rallying behind her grieving family. But hers is not the only tragedy to leave families shattered and investigators grasping for answers in recent weeks.

Just days before da Silva's case captured headlines, a separate double tragedy was unfolding nearly 10,000 miles away, this time in the heart of Quezon City, where a young couple's intertwined deaths left the Philippines reeling.

Two young lives cut short — just hours apart — have left Quezon City reeling, as investigators scramble to untangle the mysterious and closely linked deaths of a rising model and her ex-boyfriend.

Police have now launched a widening inquiry into the sudden deaths of 23-year-old model Gina Lima and her former boyfriend, 24-year-old Ivan Cezar Ronquillo — a pair whose tragic fates collided only two days apart.

Model Found Unresponsive in Quezon City Condo

Lima was discovered unresponsive inside her condominium unit in Barangay Katipunan on Monday, November 17, 2025. According to police, Ronquillo — who had been with her that night — awoke to the shocking discovery that she was no longer breathing. He rushed her to Quezon City General Hospital, where she was pronounced dead on arrival.

A preliminary medical report pointed to a possible case of cardiorespiratory distress. Police have yet to release further details, and no foul play has been officially determined. For now, her death remains under active investigation.

Autopsy Reveals No Fatal Injuries, Cause Still Unknown

An autopsy carried out by the Quezon City Police District's Forensic Unit did not identify any deadly physical trauma. However, examiners documented minor bruises and internal signs of significant organ congestion, including fluid in the lungs and a swollen heart — observations that align with the early hospital report.

Police Captain Michael Aaron Alcantara, who oversaw the examination on November 18, stated that Lima's exact cause of death remains unresolved pending further tests. Blood, urine, stomach contents, vaginal swabs, and tissue samples have all been sent for laboratory analysis.

Tablets, Marijuana Recovered from the Scene

At a press briefing held on Wednesday, November 19, Police Major Jennifer Gannaban said the initial findings were not fatal and emphasized that investigators were still waiting for the toxicology results to determine the actual cause of death.

Investigators also recovered tablets and marijuana inside the condo. Police say these items are part of the ongoing inquiry, alongside the collection of witness statements and a detailed reconstruction of the couple’s final hours together.

As of this writing, Lima's management at VMX — the digital entertainment platform where she worked — has not issued a public statement.

Ex-Boyfriend Found Dead Two Days Later

Then, a devastating twist: on Wednesday morning, November 19, Ronquillo was found dead on the stairwell of their Quezon City home. He was brought once again to Quezon City General Hospital, where doctors officially pronounced him dead at around 7:20 a.m.

La Loma Police Station Commander Lieutenant Colonel Jose Luis Aguirre confirmed that Ronquillo had initially been revived but ultimately did not survive. Authorities are treating the incident as an apparent suicide by hanging.

Police Address Online Harassment and Rumors

The circumstances of Ronquillo's death prompted further inquiry, particularly around the public backlash that had erupted online following Lima's passing.

Lieutenant Colonel Edison Ouano of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Unit at QCPD stated that officers are actively looking into the barrage of online accusations and hostile comments Ronquillo received in the days prior. "That's what we're investigating now because there was indeed bashing on social media," Ouano said.

Despite the rampant speculation, police confirmed that Ronquillo had not been identified as a suspect in Lima's death. "We have not found any evidence that indicates he was involved," Major Gannaban said. She emphasized that Ronquillo had been treated solely as a witness.

Public Figure Speaks Out Against Online Accusations

As online speculation exploded in the hours after Lima's death, digital creator Marlon Vergara stepped in with a sobering reminder of the real-world toll that internet rumor-mongering can take.

"I know what it feels like to be a victim of false accusations and fake news. I've lived through it," Vergara stated in a public post. "And like I always tell people, if I wasn't strong enough, I could've ended up on the other side."

Vergara shared that he had personally messaged Ronquillo after seeing social media posts directly blaming him for Lima's death — even before police had ruled out foul play. "I reached out," he said. "I messaged Ivan [...] because I was genuinely concerned and wanted to give him advice."

In their exchange, after being advised to speak to a lawyer, Ronquillo replied with heartbreaking calm, "Will do. The truth will come out." In a follow-up message, he added, "Thank you very much."

Vergara condemned the wave of unverified claims that branded Ronquillo as responsible for his ex-girlfriend's death, long before authorities had released any conclusions. "People were already spreading unverified claims […] without thinking of the consequences," he said.

He added, "That kind of reckless gossip can destroy lives. It can push someone into darkness. So let this be a reminder: BE RESPONSIBLE. BE HUMAN. THINK BEFORE YOU SHARE. BECAUSE YOUR 'CONTENT' COULD BE SOMEONE'S BREAKING POINT!"

He ended with a solemn tribute, "May your soul rest in peace. You deserved understanding, compassion, and truth."

If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255), text "help" to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741, or go to suicidepreventionlifeline.org.