22-year-old influencer dies after traveling with friends she met 2 weeks earlier

By Linh Le September 12, 2025 | 12:09 am PT

Brazilian authorities are investigating the death of 22-year-old influencer Jaqueline Barbosa Nascimento, whose body was discovered days after she went on a trip with friends she had met just two weeks prior.

Brazilian influencer Jaqueline Barbosa Nascimento. Photo from Nascimento's Instagram

According to People magazine, Nascimento’s body was found in the Jaguara Dam in Rifaina, Brazil, following a three-day search by local fire department rescue teams, as reported by Brazilian outlet Metropoles.

The Daily Mail reported that the influencer could not swim. While authorities believe drowning is the likely cause of death, they have classified the case as a "suspicious death" and are reviewing security footage from a nearby residence to investigate further.

Nascimento was last seen on Aug. 31, when she was jet skiing with two companions in Igaratá, a municipality in São Paulo state.

Her friends revealed that she had been traveling with individuals she had met at a club just two weeks earlier.

"All our close friends and I begged her not to go because we wouldn’t be able to go with her," said Gabrielle Reis, one of Nascimento’s closest friends. "Then she kept bugging us all week, saying, ‘Let’s do it, let’s do it.’ In the end, she just went."

Nascimento’s most recent Instagram post, shared on Aug. 27, featured a series of nightlife photos with the caption: "From a fun Friday out there LOL."

She had more than 12,000 followers on the platform. Her TikTok account also featured bikini-clad selfie videos posted in the days leading up to her disappearance.