In Brazil, a tragic incident occurred involving the parents of a four-year-old girl, who were found deceased in a hotel bathtub after a night planned to celebrate their daughter’s birthday.
Jeferson Luiz Sagaz, aged 37, and Ana Carolina Silva, aged 41, had been celebrating their daughter’s birthday at a local food park, where they enjoyed some food and drinks.
Later that evening, the couple opted to go clubbing, entrusting their young daughter to Jeferson’s sister for the night.
Jeferson, a military police officer, and Ana, who owned a nail salon, checked into the Dallas Motel located in São José, Brazil, just after midnight on August 11, intending to continue their celebrations.
When the couple did not return to collect their daughter the following day, their worried family members contacted the police to report their disappearance.
Police conducted an investigation and sadly discovered the couple’s bodies in the hotel room they had rented.
Reviewing the CCTV footage, authorities found that the couple had lost consciousness in a bathtub filled with water heated to 50°C.
A toxicology report revealed that both Jeferson and Ana had high levels of alcohol and traces of cocaine in their systems, as reported by Globo G1.
Andressa Boer Fronza, the Brazilian Chief Medical Examiner, commented: “The cause of both deaths was exogenous poisoning, favouring the process of heatstroke with intense dehydration, thermal collapse, culminating in organ failure and death.
“In other words, this death occurred due to multifactorial conditions.”
To rule out other potential causes of death such as drowning, carbon monoxide, foul play, or electric shock, authorities conducted 16 forensic tests.
Authorities concluded that the heat from a space heater in the room was a significant factor contributing to the couple’s deaths.
“It may be that the physical constitution, both his and hers, were not compatible with the use of a substance like that, especially when combined with alcohol,” said Chief Simão.
He further noted, “The big issue raised in the statements we took, talking to people involved in this, is that they did not have the habit of using cocaine.”
The couple’s young daughter is now being cared for by relatives following this heart-wrenching event.