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Family Challenges Accidental Death Ruling of Influencer

Published 3 December 2025

Brazilian influencer Barbara Jankavski, a 31-year-old social media personality known for undergoing nearly 30 plastic surgeries to emulate a doll-like appearance, died on November 2 in São Paulo under circumstances that authorities have ruled accidental but her family now seeks to investigate as a possible homicide.

Jankavski, who amassed over 55,000 followers on Instagram and hundreds of thousands on TikTok by documenting her transformations, was found unresponsive in the home of Renato Campos Pinto de Vitto, a 51-year-old public defender. According to police reports, de Vitto stated that he had hired Jankavski for sexual services that evening. He said the two consumed cocaine together while watching television, after which she fell asleep beside him in her underwear. De Vitto claimed he attempted to revive her for nine minutes with CPR before calling emergency services, but paramedics pronounced her dead upon arrival.

The São Paulo Civil Police and Technical-Scientific Police concluded that Jankavski's death resulted from a heart attack caused by an accidental cocaine overdose, as confirmed by forensic analysis and a statement from the Public Security Secretariat. The agency...

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