Searches for Roberto Farias Thomaz20 years old, are still active in Pico Paraná, in Campina Grande do Sul, in the Metropolitan Region of Curitiba. The young man has been missing since Thursday morning (1st), after starting a trail accompanied by a friend. The Fire Department has been operating in the region since then and is expected to resume work this Monday (6), starting at 7am.
The young man’s friend, Thayane Smithpublished a series of videos on social media since the beginning of the trail, records that began to circulate widely after the disappearance.
In one of the posts, she stated that she would release the “full story” after the search was over and described the experience as marked by “nice views” and the “sunrise from the biggest peak in the South”.
In the videos, Thayane appears alongside Roberto and other people during the journey, including on a bus, commenting that they would spend New Year’s Eve camping on the mountain.
There are also records of arrival at the location and trail progression. In a recording published on January 1st, she describes the difficulty of the route. “They said it was a 5, 6 hour journey. 4 hours passed and we arrived halfway”, he says. From this video onwards, Roberto does not appear again in the images.
In another record, Thayane warns of the risks of the trail. “The trail is very difficult. This is for the willing, for those who are adventurous. It’s our lives at risk”, he says. In subsequent videos, she appears smiling at the mountain peak.
When the search for Roberto had already begun, in a story, she published a photo with a phrase: “Interrogations, investigations, jeez 2026 lol. Happy New Year”, followed by a laughing emoji. In another post she wrote: “Learning, never again ride with someone who isn’t experienced on trails, it’s not their lifestyle and they don’t have the energy for it”
Repercussions and accusations
After the repercussion of the case, the publications began to receive comments with questions and assumptions about the disappearance. Family members ask for caution and say that any investigation is the sole responsibility of the authorities.
In a post on social media, Raul Farias Batista, Roberto’s cousin, asked people not to raise accusations against the friend who was with him. “That cannot be the focus. The Civil Police are already investigating the case and we trust their work. We have strong reasons to believe that Betinho is ‘just’ lost and alive in the middle of the forest”, he wrote.
The family also created an official page to centralize information about the case, which has already exceeds 160 thousand followers. In one of the posts, relatives warn about the emergence of fake profiles, untrue publications and possible scams.
According to the family, a lawyer has been appointed to take the appropriate legal measures and reports must be made against accounts that ask for donations or Pix in the name of the missing person.
In another publication, the family reinforced that the search continues and asked for support from experienced mountaineers. “The searches are still active and we have faith that we will find him. The GOST and COSMO fire team are helping us, but the Pico Paraná region is very large and difficult to access and visible”, says the text. The appeal is aimed at volunteers with trail and mountaineering experience in the region.
Juliana Marins’ sister makes appeal
The case also mobilized family members of victims of similar accidents. — a young man who died in June 2025 after falling from a cliff while hiking on Mount Rinjani, in Indonesia — made a public appeal. “Never leave a person alone. No one can be left behind. The lives of everyone on this trail matter,” he said.
According to the Fire Department, Roberto and his friend started the climb on the afternoon of December 31st. During the journey, the The young man reportedly felt sick and vomited a few times.
The pair reached the top around 4am on Thursday and found two other groups there. About two hours later, they began to descend accompanied by one of the groups, but stopped at a certain point on the trail.
Shortly afterwards, the second group that had remained on the summit passed by the place where Roberto would have stayed, but did not find him. Still on Thursday afternoon, firefighters were called and began the search, which continues to be concentrated in dense forest areas that are difficult to access.
Searches continue
On social media, Roberto’s profile indicates that he worked as a occupational safety, civil firefighter, rescue worker, financial investment consultant and NR-11 instructor.
The Civil Police are investigating the case, while firefighters continue with search and rescue operations in Pico Paraná.
