A reporter accidentally discovered the body of a missing 13-year-old girl while reporting on her disappearance in a shocking incident captured on camera from Bacabal, northeastern Brazil. The incident took place in the Mearim River, where the girl, Raíssa, had last been seen swimming with her friends.
Journalist Lenildo Frazão had entered the river to demonstrate its depth and the hazardous conditions present at the time of the teenager’s disappearance. While waist-deep in water, he suddenly flinched and jumped, appearing visibly shaken.
A video of the moment captured Frazão exclaiming to his crew in Portuguese, “I think there’s something down here at the bottom of the water.” Stepping back nervously, he added, “No, I’m not going, I’m scared. It looks like an arm. Could it be her? But it might be a fish too, I don’t know.”
A Brazilian TV reporter may have stumbled onto the body of a missing 13-year-old girl during a live segment from the very river she vanished in
Lenildo Frazão was waist-deep in the Mearim River, demonstrating the water’s depth on camera in Bacabal, Maranhão — the last place the… pic.twitter.com/0i3y13fsZ9
— Re:Flex (@re_flex_world) July 21, 2025
Shortly after the segment aired on June 30, firefighters and divers resumed the search for Raíssa. Her body was ultimately recovered from the exact spot where Frazão had been filming. However, it remains unclear whether he had indeed come into contact with her body at the time.
The accident occurred while Raíssa was cooling off in the river with friends. A post-mortem examination confirmed the cause of death as accidental drowning, with no signs of physical trauma.
During his coverage, Frazão had also cautioned viewers about the river’s dangerous currents and sudden drops due to underwater holes—hazards that may have contributed to the girl’s drowning.
Raíssa’s last rites were conducted on the evening of June 30. In her memory, her school announced three days of mourning, and candle light vigil was held amid prayers by grieving friends and family.
