A New York-based model, her husband and their 11-year-old child were kidnapped at gunpoint and held hostage for 12 hours in a remote cottage in Sao Paulo, Brazil. This incident happened on 27 November. Luciana Curtis and her photographer husband, Henrique Gendre, were ambushed by armed men as they left a local restaurant. According to Gazeta, a local Sao Paulo outlet, the gang forced them into their own car at gunpoint and drove them to a wooden hut. The hut, described as rudimentary, reportedly had only a mattress, a toilet, and a sink.
“The armed perpetrators approached the victims outside a restaurant and detained them,” police said in an official release, according to the NY Post. During their captivity, the gang allegedly forced the couple to transfer money from their bank accounts. On 28 November, the family was released by their captors as police search teams closed in on the area.
According to the Gazeta report, when the couple’s eldest daughter noticed that no one had returned home for a long time, she informed her uncle, who immediately contacted the police.
“During the search by specialist police teams, the gang fled leaving the family behind,” police said.
Seeking help, the family stopped local people in a passing truck, who took them to the nearest police station. There, anti-kidnapping department officials recorded their statements and began an investigation. Acting on the information, they located the hideout, but discovered it had already been abandoned.
A spokesperson for the model confirmed their safety, saying, “The family has been released and are safe and well.”
A native of Sao Paulo and the daughter of British businessman Malcolm Leo Curtis, Curtis divides her time between New York, Sao Paulo and London. She rose to fame after winning the Brazilian final of the Supermodel of the World competition in 1993.
The 47-year-old has graced the covers of famous fashion magazines like Marie Claire and Cosmopolitan. Her career includes collaborations with global icons such as Beyoncé and major brands including Harrods, H&M and Victoria’s Secret.
