Two parents tragically passed away in a scorching motel bathtub after celebrating their four-year-old daughter’s birthday with a night of revelry. Jeferson Luiz Sagaz, 37, and Ana Carolina Silva, 41, had enjoyed festivities at a food park and indulged in drinks before heading to a nightclub. Following the celebrations, the couple left their child with Jeferson’s sister and checked into the Dallas Motel in São José, located in Brazil’s Santa Catarina state, shortly after midnight on August 11.
Concern arose when the couple failed to retrieve their daughter the next morning, prompting worried family members to alert the authorities. Subsequently, law enforcement found the lifeless bodies of Jeferson and Ana in the motel’s bathroom. Investigators determined that the couple had lost consciousness in a bathtub filled with 50°C water while a space heater emitted heat into the room, after examining the hotel room, reviewing CCTV footage, and inspecting the couple’s vehicle.
A toxicology analysis revealed elevated alcohol levels and traces of cocaine in their systems, as reported by local news outlet Globo G1. Brazil’s Chief Medical Examiner Andressa Boer Fronza disclosed that both deaths resulted from exogenous poisoning, leading to heatstroke, severe dehydration, thermal collapse, organ failure, and ultimately death.
After conducting 16 forensic tests to eliminate potential causes such as electric shock, drowning, carbon monoxide poisoning, or foul play, investigators pinpointed heat as the lethal factor. Described as devoted parents and sociable individuals by friends, the couple, who had been together for nearly two decades, had no history of violence.
Family members of Ana Carolina disputed allegations of her being a habitual drug user, expressing concerns that she might have been coerced into consuming cocaine. Chief Simão noted, “It may be that the physical constitution of both individuals was not compatible with the use of such a substance, especially when combined with alcohol.” Tragically, their daughter is now without parental care following the unfortunate turn of events on her birthday, leaving her orphaned.
In a separate incident, a young student, Alexandra Săsărman, was discovered deceased on her 22nd birthday in a hot tub at her family’s cabin. She had suffered a fatal cardiac arrest, potentially due to the high water temperature.