3 days ago
Hot tub horror as mother, 24, suffers fatal burns after hitting her head and falling into scalding water
A woman suffered fatal burns after hitting her head and falling unconscious in a hot tub in a hotel.
Mother-of-one Gabriele Cristine Barreto de Freitas had was staying at a hotel in Curitiba, in the Brazilian state of Parana, with a man she had met at a party a week earlier.
The pair were reportedly both enjoying a soak in a hot tub in the hotel.
Her partner then got up to leave and Gabriele stayed behind. Once on her own, she reportedly hit her head and passed out, local media have reported.
It is understood that her partner heard Gabriele slip and fall in the tub.
She then woke up and her partner reportedly noticed her hand was peeling and her thigh had burn blisters.
The 24-year-old suffered third degree burns from the scalding water in the hot tub.
She was then rushed to a hospital, where her entire body was wrapped up in bandages.
She remained conscious at the hospital and was recording videos for her family.
Despite signs of recovery, six days later it was reported that Gabriele had suffered cardiac arrest and had died on June 5.
Her sister, Jenifer Vaniele Barreto, said: 'They arrived at the hotel and he turned on the tub to a hot temperature.
'The two went to shower, took a bath and he left first and went to bed. He heard her fall and slip in the tub.'
She added: 'We don't understand how Gabriele's death happened. No one gave us any answers, they just said she had a cardiac arrest and died, that's all.'
The police at the Curitiba Homicide Division have opened an investigation into Gabriele's death.
The man who she went to the hotel with has not yet been interviewed by the police, according to local media reports.
The family's lawyer Valter Ribeiro Junior said they are demanding tests on the hot tub's thermostat to see if it was faulty.
He said: 'It is unacceptable that someone goes to a hotel for leisure and leaves burnt to the point of dying days later.
'If it happened to her, it's probably going to happen to other people.
'It is possible that the equipment is not up to date and may have caused these burns.'
Gabriele leaves behind a five-year-old son, who is now being cared for by her mother.
