Model Luciana Curtis's family survives Brazilian kidnapping ordeal
Luciana Curtis experienced terrifying moments during a vacation in Brazil. The 47-year-old, along with her husband and daughter, was taken captive by criminals after leaving a restaurant. The frightened family was held for 12 hours in a wooden shack in one of the poorer districts of São Paulo.
29 November 2024 19:02
British media reports on the devastating incident that happened to the popular model, Luciana Curtis, during a vacation in São Paulo. The 47-year-old, who hails from the UK, may be familiar to you from campaigns for brands such as H&M, Victoria's Secret, L'Oréal, or Revlon. On Wednesday, after visiting a local restaurant, Curtis, her husband Henrique Gendre, and their 11-year-old daughter were kidnapped by a gang.
Armed criminals held the family for about 12 hours. According to reports from The Sun magazine, they stole their car and completely cleaned out their bank accounts. Ultimately, they released them on Thursday.
According to local media, the terrified parents and their daughter were held hostage in a wooden shack in Brasilândia, one of the 96 districts of São Paulo. Reports suggest they were only given access to a mattress, a toilet, and a sink.
An alarm was raised early Thursday morning when the kidnapped couple's oldest child discovered that the rest of the family had not returned home. The daughter notified a relative, who called the police. Luciana, her husband, and their youngest child were released by the kidnappers when the police began an intensive search. Immediately after being freed, the exhausted model turned to locals for help with her husband and daughter, who assisted them and took them to a safe place.
Luciana's spokesperson confirmed the kidnapping to the local press, assuring that "the family was released and that everyone is safe and sound." The investigation is being led by a specialized police unit for kidnapping prevention, and officers are carefully analyzing CCTV footage around the restaurant where the gang's attack occurred.
The shack where Luciana and her family were taken has already been located by detectives and highlighted in the Brazilian press. In a statement on Friday, the police said: "The armed criminals approached the victims outside a restaurant and took them captive. During the search by specialist police teams, the gang abandoned the family and fled."
