What began as a routine news segment took a tragic turn when a Brazilian journalist unknowingly stepped on the body of a missing 13-year-old girl while reporting live from the river where she vanished.

Reporter Accidentally Finds Teen’s Body in River

Lenildo Frazão, a local reporter, was broadcasting from the Mearim River in Bacabal, Maranhão, on June 30, following the disappearance of a girl named Raíssa, who had gone missing while swimming with friends.

To visually depict the river’s conditions, Frazão entered the water mid-report. As he moved into chest-high depths, he suddenly recoiled.

“I think there’s something down here at the bottom,” he said, startled.
“No, I’m not going, I’m scared. It felt like an arm – could it be her? But it might be a fish too, I don’t know.”

The unsettling moment, caught on camera, was not immediately identified as a discovery. Still, it prompted search teams to revisit the same area. Firefighters and divers soon resumed efforts at that location and later recovered Raíssa’s body from the very spot Frazão had reacted.

Post-Mortem Confirms Accidental Drowning of Missing Girl Raíssa

Authorities later confirmed that Raíssa had drowned. A post-mortem examination ruled out foul play, indicating no physical trauma. She was buried that evening.

Frazão, visibly shaken during the broadcast, later shared how he had an overwhelming gut feeling something was wrong when he felt a strange object underwater.

“It was terrifying. I wasn’t sure what it was at first, but something told me we needed to alert the firefighters immediately,” he said after the incident.

The footage, which has since gone viral across social media platforms, triggered a wave of public reaction. While many expressed sorrow over the tragedy, others praised Frazão’s intuition and responsiveness. Some suggested that his on-camera reaction helped authorities locate the girl’s body sooner than expected.

Earlier in the same report, Frazão had warned about the river’s unpredictable hazards. He pointed out that the Mearim River, though commonly used for recreational swimming, has concealed dangers including sinkholes and fast-moving currents.

“This area is full of uneven ground, hidden holes – it’s easy for someone to slip under and not come back up,” he noted during the broadcast.

Raíssa had entered the river with a group of friends to escape the intense summer heat. However, like many parts of the Mearim River, the area they chose was known locally for risky swimming conditions.

Journalist Returns to Reporting After Traumatic River Incident

The journalist, though deeply affected by the experience, has resumed his reporting. He acknowledged that the day will remain etched in his memory.

“You never expect something like this to happen while doing your job. I’ll never forget what I felt that day in the river,” Frazão said.

The incident has reignited discussions in the region about river safety, signage, and the need for greater awareness of natural hazards in popular swimming spots.