The mother of a tragic beauty queen has revealed that they spoke on the phone moments before her daughter was allegedly pushed from a 13th-storey balcony.
Ana Luiza Mateus Souza, a psychologist and model, was found dead at around 5.30am on 22 April.
The police arrested her boyfriend, Endreo Lincoln Ferreira da Cunha, 32, at the scene on suspicion of femicide.
READ MORE: Paraplegic influencer dies days after settling 10-year medical negligence battle
He allegedly tampered with the body after the fall at the Alfapark Condominium in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Hours later, he was found dead in a cell after apparently asphyxiating himself with the fabric from his Bermuda shorts, as reported by Need To Know.
Investigators suspect that the 29-year-old victim, who was due to represent Bahia in the Miss Cosmo Brazil 2026 beauty pageant, was pushed from the balcony.
Neighbours reported hearing loud arguments. Endreo reportedly left the flat at one point after punching a door but returned.
Minutes before her death, Ana called her mother on the phone.
Elizângela Mateus dos Santos told reporters: “The pain is immense, it’s unbearable.”
She said Ana was “in tears” and “couldn’t take it anymore” in the relationship.
Elizângela said she instructed her daughter to leave the apartment immediately: “Come here now just as you are, my daughter.”
The mother also described the couple’s troubled relationship, saying: “At first, everything was very beautiful, but about two months later, I started to find it strange.
“That’s when she said he had already hit her in the face, that blood came out of her nose.
“Then she said that another time, he tried to suffocate her.”
Police spokesperson Renato Martins said the couple – who had been in a relationship for about three months – had been arguing through the night.
He said: “He insulted her and diminished her as a person and a woman.
“He monitored her movements and prevented her from working.”
The victim told a friend days earlier that she felt trapped in a “golden cage” in the relationship.
Ana, who had over 41,000 Instagram followers, was planning to return to her home town of Teixeira de Freitas, Bahia, with a bus ticket booked for later that day.
Endreo reportedly admitted to officers that he “felt guilty” and had suffered from “pathological jealousy”, disliking Ana Luiza’s social media presence and her interactions with others.
Before allegedly taking his own life in custody, he denied pushing her from the balcony.
It was later revealed he had a significant criminal record, including previous arrests for theft, kidnapping, bodily harm against another woman, and receiving stolen goods.
In 2019, he was reportedly shot by his own father during an argument.
The case registered is currently registered as self-defence and remains under investigation.
Ana, who had participated in São Paulo Fashion Week, had moved to Rio about a year earlier to pursue her modelling career.
The Miss Cosmo Brasil organisation issued a statement expressing “deep sorrow and consternation”, describing Ana Luiza as a talented young woman in her ascent.
The statement added: “The femicide cannot be treated as a statistic or routine.
“It is a reality that needs to be faced with seriousness, commitment and collective action.
“Ana Luiza will not be forgotten.”
Police are continuing to investigate the full circumstances of her death.
Endreo’s apparent suicide in custody is also under review.
READ MORE: Glam ‘healer’ jailed over £200K Dubai drug plot says it was ‘slip of judgment’
