Yahoo News Family of missing Brazilian model dismiss claims she drowned 'trying to save puppies' in storm
The family of a recently married model whose body was found dead in the waters of Brazil have dismissed claims that she dived into the water to rescue her two dogs who fell from her luxury boat.
Newlyweds Caroline Bittencourt and Jorge Sestini were sailing off the coast of Sao Paulo, Brazil, on Monday afternoon when their trip took a terrible turn for the worst.
Reports suggested that as a storm hit with wind speeds up to 100km/h, the couple’s boat took a sharp turn, throwing her two dogs, Cookie and Canjica, overboard.
It was claimed that Ms Bittencourt jumped in to rescue the dogs but Ms Bittencourt’s father Orley Bitterncourt strongly denied the reports.
He told TV Band News: “It was nothing more than an accident caused by the storm itself, which hit the coast of Sao Paulo on Sunday. The claims are untrue and inaccurate, and I would ask people to listen to the facts.
“Jorge told me a wave hit the side of the boat and the strength of that and strong winds unbalanced Carol and she fell into the water.
“Jorge jumped in to help her. He wasn’t able to throw a float or anything towards her because the distance between them was great because the currents took her quickly.
“He could see Carol and she tried to swim to the boat. He begged her to remain calm because he was coming to get her.
“But he could see her disappearing under the water and he couldn’t reach her as the storm separated them. He searched for my daughter for more than three hours and lost sight of the boat.”
There is no information that the dogs were on board with the couple.
Ms Bittencourt’s body was later found washed up on Cigarras Beach, 22 kilometres from where she disappeared.
Her husband was rescued after swimming for three hours by sailor Roberto Tenório. They conducted an unsuccessful search for Ms Bittencourt.
The mother-of-one posted to Instagram shortly before going missing, filming herself enjoying her day on the couple’s catamaran.
Ms Bittencourt’s former modeling agency OXYgen Models shared a heartfelt tribute, saying it appreciated “all the trust she placed in us in these years of work and partnership”.
Her daughter, Isabelle, 17, wrote to Instagram thanking people for their kind messages: “We are grateful for the support and affectionate messages we have received from Carol’s friends and fans”, she said.
