Brazilian Model Caroline Bittencourt Dies at 37 After Reportedly Jumping in Ocean to Save Her Dogs During Storm

Brazilian model Caroline Bittencourt drowned in the ocean on Sunday after getting caught up in a storm. She was 37.

Bittencourt reportedly tried to rescue her dogs in São Paolo when they fell out of the sailboat she was on with her husband, Jorge Sestini, TMZ reports. The outlet reports that the accident happened after a storm hit the couple’s boat and left them in rough waters, which caused the two dogs to fall out.

However, authorities and Bittencourt’s family denied that she tried to rescue the animals. “It was nothing more than an accident caused by the storm itself, which hit the coast of São Paolo on Sunday,” her father, Orley Bittencourt, told TV Band News on Monday, as reported by The Sun. “The claims are untrue and inaccurate, and I would ask people to listen to the facts.”

TMZ reported that after Bittencourt jumped in after the dogs, Sestini dove in to save his wife, and that hours later, Sestini was found alive and brought to safety while Bittencourt remained missing.

However, Orley claimed that Sestini “told me a wave hit the sides of the boat and the strength of that and strong winds unbalanced Carol and she fell into the water. Jorge jumped in to help her. He wasn’t able to throw a float or anything towards her because the distance between them was great because the currents took her quickly.”

“He could see Carol and she tried to swim to the boat,” Orley said. “He begged her to remain calm because he was coming to get her. But he could see her disappearing under the water and he couldn’t reach her as the storm separated them. He searched for my daughter for more than three hours and lost sight of the boat.”

“Jorge said he was with his wife in Ilhabela at around 4.30 p.m. and decided to sail towards São Sebastião when they were surprised by strong gale force winds that hit the coast,” Captain of São Sebastião Port Authority Wagner Goulart de Souza told the UK-based publication.

“Jorge said his wife was swept out to sea after winds of more than 100kmh [62 mph] hit the boat (a 16.5 foot-long catamaran),” he continued. “It appears that due to the force of the winds and the high seas, Caroline was thrown into the sea. We have no information that she jumped in to rescue her dogs.

On Monday, Bittencourt’s body was discovered near Cigarras Beach in São Paolo. Her 17-year-old daughter, Isabelle Bittencourt, confirmed her mother’s sudden death on Instagram and thanked everyone for the support her family was receiving.

“We are grateful for the support and affectionate messages we have received from Carol’s friends and fans. This energy drive fills our hearts with so much love,” she wrote.

Bittencourt’s modeling agency, OXYgen Models, also released a statement to Globo: “We are grateful for all the trust she has placed in us in these years of work and partnership, our condolences to the friends and family of the victim.”

Bittencourt worked for high-fashion designers like Valentino Garavani and Roberto Cavalli. She also made appearances on RedeTV! and RecordTV, two major Brazilian television networks.

Bittencourt’s death marks the second Brazilian model death in the past week. Over the weekend, 26-year-old runway model Tao Soares died after collapsing on a catwalk.