Gabriele de Freitas, 24, sustained severe burns in hotel hot tub
Curitiba, Brazil— A young Bazilian mother, Gabriele Cristine Barreto de Freitas, who sustained fatal burns after falling unconscious in a hotel hot tub in Curitiba, has died.
The horrifying accident has sparked public concern and led to a police investigation into the hotel’s safety protocols.
Victim found with severe burns after slipping and losing consciousness in hot tub
The 24-year-old Gabriele was reportedly staying at the hotel with a man she had met at a party just a week earlier.
According to her family and local media, the couple was enjoying time together in the tub before the man left, leaving Gabriele alone in the bathroom.
He later heard a loud thud and discovered that Gabriele had apparently slipped, hit her head, and fallen unconscious into the scalding water.
When she regained consciousness, he noticed visible signs of injury—her hand had begun peeling and burn blisters appeared on her thigh.
Hotel hot tub linked to third-degree burns and possible equipment failure
The 24-year-old was rushed to the hospital suffering from third-degree burns, which medical staff believed were caused by dangerously hot water.
Shocking images show Gabriele wrapped in extensive bandages across her body, yet she remained conscious and even sent video messages to her family, appearing to recover in the days following the incident.
Despite these hopeful signs, Gabriele suffered a sudden cardiac arrest six days later and was pronounced dead on June 5.
Her family, especially her sister Jenifer Vaniele Barreto, is now demanding clarity on how such a tragedy could have occurred during a leisure stay.
Authorities investigate possible malfunction in hot tub thermostat system
The Homicide Division of Curitiba Police has launched an investigation into Gabriele’s death. So far, the man who accompanied her to the hotel has not been formally interviewed.
The family’s lawyer, Valter Ribeiro Junior, is pressing for a full examination of the hot tub’s thermostat, suggesting the equipment may have malfunctioned and overheated the water to unsafe levels.
“It is unacceptable that someone checks into a hotel and ends up burned to death,” Ribeiro said. “If it happened to her, it could happen to others.”
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Young son left behind as family mourns unanswered questions
Gabriele’s passing leaves behind a five-year-old son, now under the care of her mother. Her family continues to question the hotel’s safety measures, demanding accountability and transparency.
