An influencer has been found alive in a forest after she was kidnapped from her home by hooded intruders.
Maressa Thereza, who has over 570,000 Instagram followers, was snatched from her house in the early hours of Sunday morning (10 May).
Hooded criminals burst into the property, overpowered the 22-year-old mother-of-one, and took her away before demanding a ransom of £7,560 (BRL 50,000) for her safe release.
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She was snatched from her home in the coastal city of Recife in north-western Brazil.
A desperate social media plea for help quickly spread among fans and triggered an immediate response from the local authorities.
The police launched a large-scale search operation across the Greater Recife area, as reported by Need To Know.
Within hours, the influencer was found alive in a forested area outside the nearby town of Olinda, where she had been abandoned.
She was said to be in good health but was left visibly shaken by her ordeal.
A statement issued by Maressa’s team confirmed she was safe: “We inform our fans, administrators, friends and family that, thank God, everything is fine with Maressa now.
“We greatly thank all the concern, affection, messages and prayers received in this moment.”
The police registered the case as ‘extortion by means of kidnapping’.
A spokesperson said inquiries are continuing “until we receive full clarification of the incident”, but warned that no further details would be released to avoid jeopardising ongoing operations.
No arrests have been made public so far and the police have declined to comment on the number of suspects involved.
The local authorities described the case as a high-priority operation given the victim’s public profile and the speed with which the distress call circulated online.
Maressa, who shares content about daily life, motherhood and home shopping with her large online following, has not yet spoken about her ordeal.
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