A 20-year-old woman was found mysteriously dead in Brazil with 26 iPhones glued to her body, according to Unilad. The woman, whose identity remains hidden from the public, died on July 29 while on the way to São Paulo, a Brazilian city.
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Brazilian Woman Died On Bus From Cardiac Arrest With 26 iPhones Glued To Her Body
Reportedly, the woman’s cause of death was a cardiac arrest. She was allegedly having trouble breathing just before the medical emergency.
The Hindustan Times reported that passengers claimed she first passed out when the bus stopped in the city of Guarupuava. Although first responders performed CPR on her for 45 minutes, they were unable to save her.
This wasn’t any normal case of a cardiac arrest, though. There were multiple iPhones glued to her body, and her luggage held even more cellphones. Not only that, but she was harboring some alcoholic beverages inside her luggage, too.
So, why would someone have cellphones glued to their body in the first place? According to The Mirror, police claimed there were clues indicating illegal smuggling. The headquarters of the federal police now have her items and the iPhones to investigate the possible trafficking case.
The Forensic Medical Institute is also analyzing the woman’s body to determine the exact cause of death. “The Parana Civil Police are investigating the case and awaiting the conclusion of forensic reports to clarify the cause of death,” said police via Brazilian news outlet Globo.
Some passengers from the bus told police that the woman was traveling alone. She started feeling ill from the moment she began her trip from Foz do Iguaçu to São Paulo.
Unilad reported that cellphone smuggling has been prevalent the past few years in Brazil. Smuggled device seizures increased by 25% in the first five months of 2025 alone, per H2FOZ. This turned out to be equal to around R$180 million (around $32.7 million USD) in smartphones.
It makes sense that the woman would hide the smuggled phones in her luggage. But gluing them to her body? Perhaps the excessive heat and having to carry 26 glued iPhones on her body made it difficult to breathe.