For Tamyris Teixeira Santos, spending time at the beach was part of her routine. The 36-year-old Brazilian lawyer and social media influencer was known for her content on MMA and fitness and had amassed 18,000 followers on Instagram. However, the influencer met a tragic fate. Three days after her disappearance from a crowded beach, she was found dead on April 21, with the family now questioning the circumstances of her death.

According to reports, the Brazilian content creator had gone to Leblon Beach in Rio de Janeiro on April 18 with her friends. After hanging out with them at a kiosk until around 5 pm, Santos went in for a swim. However, even after a considerable amount of time had passed, she did not return. The next day, after the beach staff noticed her personal belongings were still sitting unclaimed, her family and relatives were informed of her disappearance, and a frantic search operation was undertaken by the Rio de Janeiro Fire Department.

Fire officers reportedly told Brazilian news outlet g1 that the sea conditions were normal before she entered the water, and that no rescue calls were made that day. On April 21, authorities discovered Tamyris Teixeira Santos’ body at Botafogo Beach, several miles away. Her relatives identified her remains the next day.

According to Brazilian outlet Metrópoles, a forensic report has concluded that the MMA influencer likely suffered a stroke while drowning, and the oxygen deprivation underwater and water in her lungs caused severe brain damage, leading to her tragic death. However, Teixeira’s mother has publicly questioned the circumstances of her death, raising concerns over how the tragedy happened on a calm, crowded beach. Furthermore, they questioned how her friends reportedly went home without alerting authorities after she vanished at sea.

“She said she was going over there and didn’t come back,” Teixeira’s mother told g1. “The beach was packed. There’s no way someone could drown on a crowded beach.”

According to eyewitnesses, the group she was with was seen consuming alc—lic beverages throughout the afternoon. And despite her not returning, the friends reportedly did not panic or launch an active search. Instead, they left her belongings at the kiosk and went home. This particularly has led her family to question how a group of friends could simply walk away and leave her behind without raising an immediate alarm to the nearby lifeguards.

Now, as further investigation continues by the Rio de Janeiro Civil Police to establish the exact events leading up to her drowning, Tamyris Teixeira Santos’ death echoes a similar tragedy from the recent past.

MMA fighter, ‘Mondragon’ passed away while swimming in the Amazon River

Gerônimo dos Santos, better known as ‘Mondragon’, was a well-known MMA fighter who competed in ACA and Rizin. With 72 professional fights to his name, the Brazilian was widely respected by fans, and he also faced ex-UFC veteran Aleksei Oleinik in BKFC. Unfortunately, he passed away late last year after a tragic accident on the Amazon River.

According to Sherdog, Santos went for a dive in the Amazon River on December 14 in São Gabriel da Cachoeira, Amazonas state, with his girlfriend. When he did not return after entering the water, she went in after him and found him struggling in the water, reportedly calling for help.

Nearby boats rushed to rescue the drowning fighter, but by then it was too late. A day later, on December 15, ‘Mondragon’ was found dead in the Rio Negro, with the fire department locating his body trapped beneath rocks. Later, Santos’ brother revealed in a statement that the fighter could not swim very well.

Both cases are a reminder that water safety remains a critical concern regardless of an athlete’s physical conditioning.