Three more held after woman dies rope jumping in Brazil
Brazilian police arrested three more suspects a week after a young woman died in a rope jumping accident; Investigators reported over the weekend that evidence may have been suppressed.
Investigating police chief Andréa Levy said that after the disappearance of the recording device the victim was wearing during the jump, there were indications that evidence relevant to the investigation might have been hidden.
Police said the three suspects arrested on Saturday – a 29-year-old woman and two men aged 25 and 27 – were part of the team responsible for organizing and carrying out the jump.
A provisional arrest warrant was initially issued for a period of five days.
The court also authorized the search and seizure of mobile phones, electronic devices and other evidence.
Investigators also said there were signs that digital content may have been deleted after the crash.
The investigation is being carried out on suspicion that those responsible may have knowingly accepted the risk of death of the woman.
Authorities are also investigating possible obstruction of justice.
The young woman fell from a height of approximately 40 meters from the disused Ponte do Esqueleto bridge between the towns of Limeira and Cordeirópolis in São Paulo state on June 13.
Video footage shows members of the organizer’s team pushing him off the jumping platform even though the safety rope was not secured on the platform.
The detention of the three instructors who were detained on the day of the accident continues.
So far, the team has not been able to explain how the fatal error occurred.
The disappearance of the camera the 21-year-old wore during the jump had been confusing researchers for days.
Police continue to search for the device, which is considered an important piece of evidence in terms of reconstructing what happened.
An eyewitness told the G1 news portal that after the coup, he observed a member of the organizer’s team removing the device from the victim’s body.
