Businessman's Model Daughter Luciana Curtis Who Worked With Beyoncé Kidnapped and Held by Armed Robbers in Shack With Husband and Son
Luciana Curtis and her husband Henrique Gendre were held by robbers in wooden shack alongside young son.
Nov. 29 2024, Published 2:09 p.m. ET
A model who worked alongside Beyonce was kidnapped and held by armed robbers in a wooden shack in Brazil.
RadarOnline.com can reveal Luciana Curtis, her husband Henrique Gendre and their 11-year-old son, were pounced on by an armed gang outside a restaurant and held for 12 hours, allegedly stealing their car and money from their bank accounts before releasing them.
Curtis and her family were ambushed by robbers outside of a restaurant in Brazil.
The trio were leaving a restaurant in Alto do Lapa, Sao Paulo, on Wednesday night when they were snatched by the gang.
It was only the following morning the alarm was raised by the couple's eldest child who found that her family had not returned home, according to local reports.
The terrified daughter contacted a relative who called the police.
The model — who has worked with the Bootylicious star and featured on the covers of magazines like Cosmopolitan and Marie Claire — was held in a shack with her family overnight, reports say.
The family were held in a remote village in tiny shack for 12 hours.
The wooden hut in Brasilandia, one of San Paulo's 96 districts, had just a mattress, toilet, and sink.
Curtis, her husband, and their youngest child were released by their captors as the police launched a search for the family.
The terrified family sought help from locals after their captors abandoned the hideaway, stealing the model's car.
They were swiftly taken to safety and a spokesperson for the 47-year-old model confirmed the incident to local press saying: "The family has been released and they are safe and well."
Brazil-born Curtis is the daughter of British businessman Malcolm Leo Curtis.
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While they were holed up, their abductors are understood to have transferred money from the couple's bank accounts to their own.
A specialist police anti-kidnap unit is investigating and officers have been analysing CCTV footage around the unnamed restaurant where the gang struck.
In a statement, police confirmed: "The armed criminals approached the victims outside a restaurant and took them captive.
“During the search by specialist police teams, the gang abandoned the family and fled."
Neither Curtis nor her husband have issued any comment themselves about the ordeal.
Brazilian-born Curtis is the daughter of British businessman Malcolm Leo Curtis and teacher Katia Maria Furtado de Mendonca Curtis.
Curtis and her husband emptied bank accounts after threats from robbers.
She was born in Sao Paulo but primarily lives in New York.
The stunning brunette got to the final of the Brazilian Supermodel of the World in 1993 after she started modelling at the age of just 14.
A scout handed her an invite to the competition while she was visiting a shopping centre.
Curtis came in the top four and went on to feature on the cover of a string of magazines.
She was also part of the worldwide campaign for L'Oreal's "True Match" powder and foundation with Beyonce.
Earlier this year she featured alongside other models on the cover of ELLE Brazil.
The issue was an "ode to Brazilian supermodels who, from the late 1990s to the present day, have been taking the profession abroad, appearing on catwalks for major brands, and becoming muses of legendary stylists and established photographers".
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