Brazilian social-media influencer Jaqueline Barbosa Nascimento, 22, was found dead in the Jaguari Reservoir on September 3, three days after she went missing during a jet-ski outing with friends in Igaratá, about 80 kilometers from São Paulo.
Nascimento disappeared on August 31, after falling into the water while riding a jet ski with two acquaintances. According to the São Paulo Military Firefighters Corps, her body was discovered near the dam’s bank following a four-day search.
Police reports state that the influencer was riding on the back of the jet ski before moving up front to take photos. At one point, she accelerated into a sharp turn, lost control, and all three passengers were thrown into the water. Nascimento, who couldn’t swim, went under. Her companions tried to pull her up—one pushing her toward the surface, the other going for the jet ski—but couldn’t save her. They eventually went back to shore and called emergency responders.
Her body was recovered three days later, on Sept. 3, by São Paulo’s Military Firefighters Corps near the reservoir’s bank. The state’s public security secretary confirmed she died from drowning.
The São Paulo State Secretariat of Public Security (SSP-SP) later confirmed the cause of death as drowning.
Police Say Case Is Still “Suspicious”
Even though authorities confirmed the cause of death as drowning, the Civil Police in Igaratá officially logged the case as a “suspicious death.” Officials say the two people with Nascimento gave conflicting statements about what happened that afternoon. Investigators are now reviewing surveillance footage from a nearby home to assemble the timeline. As of now, no criminal charges have been filed..
Nascimento’s mother identified her body at the reservoir. The influencer is survived by her parents, who operate a small snack business, and a younger sister who recently turned 14.
A wake and burial were held on September 5 at the Vila Nova Cachoeirinha Cemetery in São Paulo.
Close friend and fellow influencer fellow content creator Gabrielle Reis told Metrópoles that Nascimento had decided to travel to Igaratá with a group of friends she had only recently met.
“All of our close friends and I begged her not to go because none of us would be able to keep up,” Reis said. “She kept pestering us all week, saying, ‘Let’s go, let’s go.’ In the end, she went.”
Reis described Nascimento as kind and caring, recalling their long friendship.
“She was always a very sweet, loving girl, always thinking of others. She was a good person, a good friend,”Reis said.
However, she also noted that they had clashed over Nascimento’s fast-paced lifestyle, saying her friend could sometimes be “naive.”
Nascimento had cultivated a modest following—over 12,000 Instagram followers and more than 1,700 TikTok followers—where she frequently shared travel and lifestyle content. Her final posts, shared the day she disappeared, were selfies on a grassy lawn.
In a statement, her family condemned online accounts attempting to exploit her death for engagement and urged followers to report such activity.
While her influence was small compared to larger internet personalities, Nascimento’s death has been widely covered in Brazilian media. It has sparked conversations on water safety and the risks tied to fast-paced lifestyles often showcased on social media.
