On Camera, Brazil Woman Falls From 7th Floor, Dies As Window Frame Breaks

A 26-year-old woman died after the aluminium frame of a hotel window gave way as she leaned against it, sending her plunging from the seventh floor in northeastern Brazil. Her boyfriend was standing in the hallway when the incident took place, police said.

Renata Rebeca Negrao Saldanha dos Santos, a mother of two, fell at around 1:30 am on Tuesday at the Rio Poty Hotel in Ponta d'Areia, in Sao Luis, the capital of Maranhao state.

She landed on the canopy above the hotel's entrance. Although she received immediate attention, she could not survive her injuries.

😱 Tragedy in Brazil: 26-year-old woman falls to her death from the seventh floor of a hotel after simply leaning against a window The incident occurred on November 3 at the Rio Poty Hotel in São Luís. Renata Rebeca Saldanha dos Santos leaned against a window. The structure gave way, and she fell from the seventh floor. Her boyfriend was questioned by police over suspicions of involvement in her death, but surveillance footage showed that he neither pushed nor assaulted her. He was released. Police are treating the incident as an accident. The cause of the window's structural failure is still under investigation.

— NEXTA (@nexta_tv) November 5, 2026

CCTV Captures Moments Before The Fall

Security camera footage shows Renata and her boyfriend walking through the hotel corridor while apparently looking for their room keys.

At one point, Renata sits on the edge of a hallway window and leans against its aluminium frame. The structure suddenly comes loose, causing her to fall.

The footage then shows her boyfriend standing still for several seconds. A hotel employee arrives shortly afterwards and appears to notice the damaged window and realise that someone has fallen.

Police said the couple appeared to be under the influence at the time of the incident. The boyfriend was taken to the police station for questioning but was later released.

Police Say No Signs Of Assault

According to the Daily Mail, George Marques, the police chief leading the investigation for Maranhao's Civil Police homicide unit, said the CCTV footage suggested that the fall was accidental.

"There was no push. He wasn't even close to her," Marques added.

He said investigators would continue examining the circumstances surrounding the woman's death. Hotel employees are expected to be interviewed, while Renata's boyfriend could also be questioned again.

Hotel Promises To Cooperate With Probe

The Rio Poty Hotel expressed sadness over the incident and offered its condolences to Renata's family and friends.

In a statement, the hotel said it was cooperating fully with the Public Security Department and had been available to assist investigators "from the first moment."

Mother Struggles To Accept Daughter's Death

Renata and her boyfriend, who were from Para, had arrived in Sao Luis on October 28 to play poker. They were supposed to return home on Tuesday, the day she died.

Her death has left behind two young children, including a four-year-old.

Her mother, Betty Negrao, told local broadcaster TV Liberal that she was struggling to come to terms with what had happened.

"My daughter went out to have fun, and I'm receiving her inside a coffin," said Betty Negrao.
She also recalled having a troubling feeling before the accident.

"I had that anguish that I think a mother's heart feels," she added.

Her body was released by the Legal Medicine Institute early Tuesday and sent to Ananindeua, a city near Belem in Para, where she lived.