Camera worn by Brazilian girl killed in rope jump tragedy was hidden after her fatal fall

WASHINGTON, DC: The investigation into the death of a Brazilian student who fell 130 feet from a bridge during an unlicensed bungee jump has taken an unexpected turn, with authorities alleging that a camera attached to her body was removed and hidden after the fatal fall.

Maria Eduarda Rodrigues de Freitas died on June 13 after she was thrown off the Ponte do Esqueleto, or Skeleton Bridge, in the Brazilian state of São Paulo, without a safety cord attached.

The São Paulo Secretariat of Public Security said three instructors, aged 27, 32, and 42, have been arrested on homicide charges after investigators concluded they were aware of the deadly risks involved but chose to proceed with the jump anyway.

A video of the incident captured the chilling moment Rodrigues de Freitas was pushed from the bridge before panicked witnesses shouted, "Guys, the rope!" as they noticed she was not tethered to a safety cord.

The mystery of the missing camera

Evelyne dos Santos Gonçalves, 29, a 25-year-old man and a 27-year-old man, the three arrested in Rodrigues de Freitas’s death, have been accused of taking a camera that de Freitas, 21, was wearing when she fell 130 feet to her death, according to the People.

They have also been accused of deleting digital content, the outlets reported, citing the Civil Police.

"During the investigation, elements were gathered that indicate possible suppression of evidence relevant to the investigation, especially related to the disappearance of the image capture equipment used by the victim during the jump," Civil Police Delegate Andréa Levy told G1.

Witness Rafael Goulart alleged that he saw an employee remove the camera from Maria's neck strap as she lay critically injured on the ground following the fall.

“I saw the girl on the ground, [I saw] one of the employees removing the GoPro camera from the neck strap of the body that was already on the ground, either worried about the equipment or wanting to hide evidence,” the witness told The US Sun.

The three individuals arrested on Saturday were allegedly stationed at the base of the bungee jump site to remove participants' safety equipment after each jump.

Police claim they later fled into a nearby wooded area and attempted to hide key evidence related to the fatal incident.

"They didn't have a typical or active role in the jump. They only participated at the moment the jump ended,” Gonçalves' lawyer Vitor Aurélio told G1.

“One would pull the rope back up, and the other would just take the rope off the jumper,” he further claimed, adding that one of the suspects "saw the camera” after the victim fell.

“It's in his interest for the camera to appear here, because he provided assistance and didn't participate in anything,” he said.

Nurse reveals Maria was still alive after 130-foot bungee fall

Off-duty nurse Rayza Dias was among the first responders who immediately rushed toward the crash site after witnessing the fall.

“I scraped my whole hand because there’s a steep slope down there and only one rope for us to climb down,” Dias said, describing the difficult terrain rescuers had to navigate.

Dias told Brazilian television program Domingo Espetacular that despite the severity of the fall, Rodrigues de Freitas was still alive when she reached her.

“I even talked to her. I have a habit of joking and saying, ‘Nobody dies on my shift.’ And I told her, ‘Duda, nobody dies on my shift,’ even though I wasn’t on my shift there,” the nurse recalled while becoming emotional during the interview.