A 22-year-old rodeo queen and mother has died after being struck by lightning during a rainstorm in Brazil, leaving her family and community mourning a young woman they described as loving and full of life.
Ana Beatriz Araújo Ferreira died Oct. 3 in Almas, a municipality in the Brazilian state of Tocantins.
She had recently been crowned “Queen of the Rodeo” at ExpoAlmas, a local agricultural and rodeo celebration.
According to local authorities, Ana Beatriz was outside during light rain when she was struck by lightning.
She was rushed to a hospital but could not be saved.
Her death is being investigated by local police, although early reporting has pointed to the lightning strike as the cause.
ExpoAlmas organizers announced her death in a statement expressing condolences to her family, friends and the wider community.
They said her passing had left an enormous void among those who knew her.
Ana Beatriz was also a physiotherapy student at Unopar University and the mother of a 5-year-old son.
Her brother, César Augusto, remembered her as one of the most beautiful people he had ever known.
He said she was caring for her niece when the lightning strike occurred, describing the moment as painfully fitting with the way she lived her life — showing love through simple acts of care.
In an emotional tribute shared after her death, he thanked his sister for the 22 years they had together and said her memory would live on through her son and the family she left behind.
Ana Beatriz had become known locally through her role at ExpoAlmas, where she represented the rodeo festivities and appeared at community events.
Her death prompted an outpouring of tributes from people who knew her personally and others who had followed her pageant and rodeo appearances.
For her family, though, she was far more than a local titleholder.