Influencer Sofia Murillo Dies at 17 Alongside Her Mother and Grandmother in Brazil Helicopter Crash

10 August 2026

Colombian influencer Sofia Murillo has died at the age of 17 after a sightseeing helicopter crashed in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, killing the young creator along with her mother, grandmother and the aircraft’s pilot.

Murillo was traveling with her mother, Wendy Manrique, 37, and grandmother, Rocio Cubillos, 59, when their four-seat helicopter went down in a wooded area near Vista Chinesa, a scenic overlook in Rio de Janeiro, on August 8. Pilot Alessandro Rocha also died in the accident.

The family had been visiting Brazil on vacation and booked a short sightseeing flight with local tour operator Voo Rio Panorâmico. The approximately 20-minute trip was intended to provide aerial views of Rio and its famous Christ the Redeemer monument.

Murillo, her mother and grandmother boarded the first flight at around 11 a.m. Three other relatives, including Murillo’s uncle Victor Manrique, his wife and their 15-year-old daughter, remained behind at the hangar and planned to take a second helicopter tour. According to reports, the surviving relatives learned about the crash through news coverage while they were still waiting.

Emergency responders were called to the crash site at approximately 11:11 a.m. The remote, heavily wooded location complicated rescue efforts, while the accident also triggered a fire across part of the hillside. Military firefighters eventually brought the flames under control. Authorities have not yet determined what caused the helicopter to crash.

A lawyer representing Voo Rio Panorâmico said the company had the permits required to operate, the helicopter’s maintenance records were current and Rocha was properly licensed. Brazil’s Aeronautical Accidents Investigation and Prevention Center and Rio de Janeiro’s Civil Police have both opened investigations into the tragedy.

Murillo had already established a substantial online audience despite her young age. Based in Bogotá, she had accumulated more than 250,000 followers across TikTok and Instagram, where she became known for beauty advice, cosmetic product reviews and lifestyle content.

Her approachable beauty content made her especially popular with young followers. Many viewed her posts not simply as product recommendations but as encouraging conversations about appearance and confidence.

Murillo remained active online shortly before her death. Her final apparent social media update came on August 5, only three days before the crash, when she shared a TikTok video documenting her gym routine. News of the accident quickly transformed the comment sections beneath her posts into memorial spaces.

Followers remembered the teenager for her beauty advice and the confidence she inspired in members of her audience. Others expressed disbelief that a creator whose everyday life they had been following online had died so suddenly. The tragedy is particularly devastating because three generations of the same family were lost during what had been planned as a memorable vacation experience.

Murillo’s first visit to Brazil was meant to include the extraordinary experience of seeing one of the world’s most recognizable landmarks from the air. Instead, the sightseeing flight ended in a disaster that claimed four lives and left surviving relatives searching for answers.

As investigators work to establish what caused the helicopter to go down, Murillo’s online community is remembering the teenager for the beauty, lifestyle and confidence-focused content that allowed her to connect with hundreds of thousands of people during her short life.