A harrowing incident unfolded in Sao Paulo, Brazil, where New York-based model Luciana Curtis, her photographer husband Henrique Gendre, and their 11-year-old child were abducted by armed men after dining at a restaurant. The family was forced into their own vehicle and taken to a ramshackle dwelling in Brasilandia, where they endured 12 hours of captivity, as explained in articles from both the New York Post and iHeart's Z100.
The eldest child of Curtis, who was not present at the dinner, noticed the absence of their family's return and alerted other family members. This act prompted a police intervention. “During the search by specialist police teams, the gang abandoned the family and fled," authorities said according to the New York Post. The kidnappers had apparently succeeded in transferring funds from the couple's bank accounts before their escape.
Gazeta, a local Brazilian media outlet, featured photos of the dilapidated structure where the family was detained, depicting a singular mattress, toilet and sink. The victims were ultimately released and found assistance among locals to get back to safety after their ordeal. “The family has been released and they are safe and well,” a spokesperson for Curtis told Gazeta, as reported by iHeart's Z100.
Curtis' international notoriety stems from her esteemed modeling career, having won the Brazilian final of Supermodel of the World in 1993, and has appeared on the covers of high-profile magazines such as Marie Claire and Cosmopolitan, in addition to modeling for brands like Harrods, H&M, and Victoria's Secret. A daughter to British businessman Malcolm Leo Curtis, she resides in New York but frequently travels between Sao Paulo and London.
