Mum of woman thrown to her death after 'staff forgot to attach rope' hits out in emotional statement

A 21-year-old woman in Brazil was thrown to her death in a horrific rope jumping accident where six men were arrested, with three having now been charged with ‘homicide with implied malice’.

Maria Eduarda Rodrigues de Freitas was allegedly not attached to a rope when she was thrown from a 131 foot tall bridge, with horrifying footage circulating online of the incident.

In footage that has gone viral on social media people can be heard yelling just moments before she was flung to her death by the three men: “The rope, people, the rope!”

The incident has shocked people from across the world, in particular a statement made by the staff to police stating that they were ‘bewildered’ and did not know what had gone wrong and whose responsibility the rope was.

A police statement released to local media said: "They can't remember what the mistake was there, who should have put the rope in place, if there was no supervision. They can't remember.

"They are completely bewildered by the situation because they have been doing this for a long time and nothing like this had ever happened before." The investigation is ongoing and police are awaiting forensic reports on the incident.

This was the third major incident to take place on ‘Skeleton Bridge’ in Limerira in two years, leading to renewed calls to investigate its safety, with another fatality having taken place in 2014.

Murilo Felix, the mayor of Limeria, said in a statement on Sunday that ‘in addition to the circumstances that led to the young woman’s death, it is necessary to establish who is responsible for the lack of access control to a federal area which, for years, has posed known risks and is still without the necessary safety measures’.

He continued, saying: “We have been calling for action for months to ensure that the Federal Government assumes its responsibility. Unfortunately, its failure to act has just resulted in yet another tragedy in Limeira.”

Maria’s mother has now spoken out on social media, decrying ‘that damned rope’ in emotional statements.

One post saw her say: “That damned rope took you away from me forever.

“My beloved daughter, only today I wanted to hug you more than a thousand times. How it’s hurting me your departure.”

Another post on Instagram saw her say she wanted to hug her ‘beloved daughter’ more than a thousand times, saying that her daughter’s death ‘hurts her’.

She continued: “I love you eternally, my princess. And thank you so much for being a part of my life for these 21 years.

“What an honour it was to hear you call me mom. God, thank you for this privilege.”

Timeline of accidents at Brazil's Skeleton Bridge

Brazil's Skeleton Bridge (NBC News)

Ponte do Esqueleto, nicknamed Skeleton Bridge, was meant to be part of Brazil’s Federal Railway Network (RFFSA).

It’s been abandoned for around 30 years. However, it has remained popular with extreme sports enthusiasts, and this isn’t the first tragedy that has taken place there.

According to O Tempo, one businessman claimed the bridge receives 500 visitors a month.

April 2024

Mum-of-one Kelly Stefani de Oliveira Alves, 39, is cycling with her husband on the Skeleton Bridge when she loses her balance as her foot touches a low wall.

Tragically, she falls off the bridge and drops 15 metres with her bike, dying at the scene and leaving behind a seven-year-old son.

Following the accident, Brazil’s Ministry of Management and Innovation in Public Services (MGI) asks for the bridge to be closed and for danger signs to warn people not to go on it.

Nevertheless, activities at the site resumed.

August 2025

Two women fall from the Skeleton Bridge and suffer serious injuries.

One woman is taken to Santa Casa de Limeira hospital with critical injuries. Another suffers multiple fractures throughout her body.