Heartbreaking video shows bungee jump victim biking on beach before she was hurled from bridge without a rope as family mourns 'deep absence'

By GREG WOODFIELD IN SAO PAULO, BRAZIL and JAMES GORDON, US NEWS REPORTER

Published: 04:12 BST, 21 June 2026 | Updated: 11:18 BST, 21 June 2026

The family of the young woman hurled to her death in a rope jump blunder in Brazil have exclusively told the Daily Mail of their anguish, and that their 'Duda' planned to marry soon.

Heartbreaking footage shared by her relatives shows Maria Eduarda Rodrigues de Freitas, 21, cycling along a beach with her boyfriend and two others before the fateful trip that ended with her being launched from a 130-foot bridge without a rope attached .

The smiling young woman, affectionately known as Duda, can be seen in the video enjoying the dusk as she pedals alongside the group - a devastating contrast to the final moments of her life just days later.

Her family said the 21-year-old had a future packed with plans, including completing her studies, building a career in fitness and starting a family of her own.

But those dreams were destroyed on June 13 when she was thrown from the Ponte do Esqueleto - or Skeleton Bridge - in Limeira, São Paulo state, during a pendulum-style rope jump.

Police say Duda was not connected to the safety equipment meant to stop her fall.

Her relatives have now described their grief in an exclusive statement to the Daily Mail through an attorney, saying her sudden death had left an unbearable void.

'With an immeasurable pain and a desolate heart the Rodrigues family addresses to the public in this very difficult moment, after the tragic and premature loss of our dear Maria Eduarda Rodrigues de Freitas, affectionately known as Duda, at the age of 21,' the family said.

Heartbreaking footage shared by her relatives shows Maria Eduarda Rodrigues de Freitas, 21, cycling along a beach before the fateful trip that ended her life

Freitas, 21, was launched from a bridge in Sao Paolo, Brazil, last Sunday in a horrific on-camera incident

In an Instagram story, posted at around 7.30am, the woman showed the bridge and the grassland below, along with the caption: 'Who was the crazy person who let me jump off a bridge?'

They added that her death had cut short a promising young life that had just begun.

'Her abrupt departure interrupts a life full of plans and dreams, leaving a deep absence in all of us who love her,' the statement said.

Duda, who was born on Christmas Day, was described as a source of joy to those closest to her.

'Maria Eduarda, born on December 25, has always been a real gift for our family,' her relatives said.

'Since she was little, Duda stood out for her joy, her good mood and her contagious energy. We remember with affection every moment and our commitment to see her happy.'

The family said she was studying Physical Education after training in sports nutrition and had hoped to graduate next year.

They said her enthusiasm for the field was already visible in her work as a receptionist and intern at a gym in her hometown.

But the most painful loss, they said, was the future that will now never come.

Maria Eduarda Rodrigues de Freitas, known as Duda, smiles in a turquoise gown and tiara during her 15th birthday celebration, her quinceañera

Duda poses beside the elaborate cake and floral display at her quinceañera, where decorations carried the words ‘Duda 15’

A younger Duda is embraced by her aunt during the milestone celebration

Duda, dressed as Minnie Mouse, poses with her aunt Valdineia Rodrigues at a childhood costume party

Duda and her aunt Valdineia smile together during an outdoor family outing

'Duda had many dreams for the future,' her family said. 'She was dating and she planned to get married soon, with the desire to build her own family and give her grandparents the joy of meeting their children.'

‘We greatly appreciate the support, the solidarity and the affection received from everyone, as well as the role of the press in the search for the truth and dissemination of this case,’ the family said.

‘We ask that the family’s privacy be respected in this period of great suffering.’

They signed the statement simply: ‘With a broken heart, the Rodrigues Family.’

The family also released family photographs showing Duda at her lavish 15th birthday celebration, beaming in a sparkling turquoise gown and tiara as she posed beside an elaborate cake and floral display.

Other treasured images show the young Brazilian with her aunt Valdineia Rodrigues during childhood, including one from a Minnie Mouse-themed costume party and another from an outdoor family outing.

Her relatives said Duda, born on Christmas Day, had always been ‘a real gift’ to the family, remembering her for her joy, good humor and ‘contagious energy.’

The tragedy unfolded at the abandoned bridge in Limeira, around 92 miles north of São Paulo, a site that had become known among thrill-seekers for rope-jumping events.

Unlike traditional bungee jumping, rope jumping typically uses low-stretch climbing ropes designed to turn a fall into a sweeping pendulum movement rather than a vertical bounce.

Duda had asked to be thrown from the bridge 'airplane style,' with her arms stretched wide as two instructors lifted her over their shoulders.

Video of the incident shows two helmeted men raising her into position before hurling her over the side.

Luis Felipe Feliciano Egoroff, 32, was arrested in connection with Rodrigues de Freitas's death. He frequently took to social media to share adrenaline-fueled antics from Skeleton Bridge in Sao Paolo. Maicon Fernandes Cintra, 42, Vitor de Freitas Gonçalves, 27

Three men were arrested for homicide with eventual intent following the tragic death

One of the instructors, Luis Felipe Feliciano Egoroff, seen in a previous bungee jump preparing to leap off the abandoned bridge with a child in his arms