Brazilian content creator, attorney, and trained BJJ and Muay Thai fighter Tamyris Teixeira Santos was found dead on Botafogo Beach in Rio de Janeiro on April 22 — three days after she disappeared while swimming at Leblon Beach.
Santos, who had built a following of more than 18,000 on Instagram documenting her fitness journey, martial arts training, and daily lifestyle, was last seen alive on the afternoon of April 18, when she left a group of friends at Leblon Beach for a swim around 5 p.m. and never returned.
According to local outlet g1, Santos’s family was not alerted to her disappearance until the following day — April 19 — when beach staff notified them that her belongings had been left unclaimed overnight. Authorities and rescue teams launched an immediate search operation.
Three days later, on April 22, a body was discovered on Botafogo Beach — several miles from where Santos was last seen. Her family confirmed the identification. The official cause of death remains under investigation.
Local fire officials told g1 that sea conditions were calm on the day of Santos’s disappearance and that no distress or rescue calls were received that afternoon. The outlet also reported that witnesses observed Santos’s group consuming alcohol throughout the day.
Santos’s mother spoke directly to the press, making clear she has serious questions about how her daughter died.
“She said she was going over there and didn’t come back,” she told g1. “The beach was packed. There’s no way someone could drown on a crowded beach.”
Santos was far more than a social media personality. A practicing attorney by profession, she was also a trained competitor in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Muay Thai — disciplines she regularly showcased to her online audience. Her Instagram bio captured her identity in full: “♒️Aquarius 🇭🇺Tricolor 🌊Love the beach 💪🏻Fitness 🥋BJJ 🥊Muay Thai.”
Her final post, published April 13, was a simple selfie — captioned only with a pink heart emoji. What appeared to be an ordinary update has since become a somber final goodbye for the thousands who followed her.
Brazilian authorities continue to investigate the circumstances surrounding Santos’s death. A definitive cause has yet to be established.
