In unclear circumstances, a 21-year-old student died after falling from her sixth-floor hostel balcony.
Mariana Sousa Bustamante was discovered in the early hours of November 7 in the courtyard under her dorm room at the Unifranz Cochabamba University in Bolivia.
The Brazilian student was in her third year of study.
According to her relatives, despite the fall, she had bruises on her face and arms, and Bolivian officials were looking into the potential of foul play.
Mariana shared the flat with two other Brazilian students, a guy and a woman, who left the victim alone on the evening of November 6 to attend a party.
When they returned at 2.50 a.m., the balcony door was open and the victim was lying in the courtyard below.
Bolivian authorities interrogated the two roommates before releasing them when CCTV evidence appeared to validate their alibi.
Juliane Sousa, the victim’s mother, claimed Mariana appeared enthusiastic about being approved to work for the Bolivian Red Cross the day before her death.
“She spoke to everyone and seemed to be in good spirits. “The three students were at home that day, and they had lunch together,” he explained.
“I want to thank many of you for the prayers, words of comfort, love, and care that you have shown our family.
“Mariana was a happy girl who infected everyone who had the pleasure of meeting her. Today, we’re left with a lot of nostalgia and good memories because she was my bright daughter.
“Now she is an angel in Heaven and from there she will take care of us all.”
“They said it was from the sixth storey,” said the victim’s grandmother, Francisca de Oliveira, 76. I’m not sure if she fell or if they hurt her down there. How can we be sure? We live here, and they live at the other end of the planet.
“Her hand was injured, her face was hurt, from what I could see, she was hurt all over.”
Mariana’s mother said: “I gave a statement about my relationship with Mariana, but at the police station I was not informed of anything. Only that it was an investigation of a suspected homicide.”
Bolivia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that they were in contact with their Brazilian counterparts as well as the victim’s family.
Mariana was laid to rest on November 11 at the Parque Hortolândia Cemetery in her home state of Sao Paulo.
The investigation is still ongoing.
