Model Luciana Curtis and family kidnapped in Brazil; saved after a day

Freed with the help of residents of the favela

Abduction in her home country

Luciana Curtis must still be feeling the shock: During a visit to her home country of Brazil, she, her husband, and one of her daughters were kidnapped. After a day, they were released.

5th place in the world

Luciana Curtis was discovered as a model at a young age and her career began when she took fifth place in a modeling agency's 'Supermodel of the World' competition in 1993.

Model

Luciana Curtis, now 47, walked the runway for Victoria's Secret and worked with Gisele Bündchen and Beyoncé during her modeling career.

Home visit

Curtis, who lives with her family in New York, visited her home in Brazil with her husband, photographer Henrique Gendre, and their two daughters when the incident occurred.

Photo: Lucurtis /I nstagram

Kidnapping after a restaurant visit

Curtis was having dinner with her husband and younger daughter at a fancy restaurant in Sao Paulo when she was spotted by kidnappers.

Photo: Lucurtis / Instagram

Forced with a weapon

As the German news outlet Stern reports, the family was threatened with a gun as they left the restaurant and were forced to get into their car. The perpetrators then took the family to a favela in their own car.

Photo: Lucurtis / Instagram

Held in a favela

The family was taken to a hut that reportedly had only a sink, a dirty toilet, and a stained mattress.

Photo: Lucurtis / Instagram

Tens of thousands stolen

The kidnappers' goal was money. By extorting bank account details, the kidnappers were able to withdraw a five-figure sum from the model's belongings. Then, they escaped.

Eldest daughter behind

After the culprits fled, Curtis and her family managed to get out too. The older daughter, who was not affected by the kidnapping, reported her family's disappearance to a relative, who in turn informed the police.

Photo: Lucurtis / Instagram

Freed with the help of residents of the favela

Although the perpetrators were able to escape, Curtis and her family were also freed. In fact, residents of the favela helped them, Stern reports. So, in the end, the family lost a big sum of money but escaped physically unharmed.

Photo: Lucurtis / Instagram

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