Influencer’s Mysterious 10th-Floor Fall Leads to Husband’s Arrest

Brazilian content creator Maria Katiane Gomes da Silva died on Nov. 29 after falling from the 10th floor of her apartment building in São Paulo. She was 25.

Her husband, 40-year-old businessman Alex Leandro Bispo dos Santos, has been arrested under a temporary detention order as authorities investigate the case as a suspected femicide. Police believe Santos may have pushed Silva from the apartment the couple shared, according to Brazilian outlets g1 and O Globo.

On the night of her death, neighbors reported hearing screams followed by a loud impact and contacted Military Police and emergency responders. When officers arrived, they found Santos holding Silva’s body. He allegedly told authorities she died by suicide after an argument, but investigators quickly flagged the circumstances as suspicious.

Detectives from the Homicide and Personal Protection Department later reviewed surveillance footage from inside the apartment and throughout the building. According to g1 and O Globo, the footage contradicts Santos’ version of events.

Security camera video reportedly shows Santos assaulting Silva in the building’s parking area before the two are seen arguing inside an elevator. At one point, he appears to reach toward her neck and pull her out of the elevator. Moments later, Santos is seen returning alone and sitting inside the elevator with his head in his hands.

Santos’ legal representation has not responded publicly to requests for comment.

Just over a week before his arrest, Santos attended Silva’s wake and burial in Ceará, Brazil. Photos and videos that circulated online showed him embracing her coffin, according to g1.

Silva had built a strong social media following, where she shared makeup, beauty, and lifestyle content. Originally from a rural district of Crateús, Brazil, she worked in a restaurant and supermarket before moving to São Paulo, where she later met and married Bispo dos Santos.