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Marcela Borges was a 27-year-old woman married to Rubens Morais, whose residence in Winter Garden, Florida, was invaded by a mafia gang on November 15, 2009. Shortly after Rubens unlatched the door, a group of men forced their way inside. They took the couple and their five-year-old son, Ryan, hostage.
Marcela and her family endured more than two days of torture while the gang members forcefully ransacked their home and stole their entire savings. The situation changed when Marcela escaped captivity by jumping from the second floor and managed to call the police, leading to the gang's capture.
The complete story behind the abduction of Marcela Borges and her family is documented in Lifetime's Terror Comes Knocking: The Marcela Borges Story. Viewers can watch the crime thriller on January 11, 2025, at 9 pm EST on Lifetime.
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5 key details about the home burglary of Marcela Borges
1) Marcela Borges was pregnant when her house was invaded
As per a Stranger Cases documentary released on July 16, 2023, Marcela Borges and Rubens Morais were natives of Brazil who immigrated to the United States. They had a son named Ryan, and Marcela was expecting another child. On the morning of Sunday, November 15, 2009, they heard their doorbell ring.
None of them were expecting visitors at that time, however, when Rubens opened the door, some gang members forced their way inside. The family was soon taken hostage at gunpoint, and their house was ransacked. Initially, Marcela believed the incident to be a burglary, but they soon realized that their house had been hijacked.
2) Marcela Borges and her family were abducted by the mafia
The gang members began to scrutinize Rubens' business papers. He used to work at a directorial position in a transportation company. The family was then moved to the garage, where they were put inside the car as the invaders started driving.
As detailed in the Stranger Cases documentary, the gang was directed by their leader over the phone and taken to a neighborhood in Apopka, Florida. They were eventually brought to a trailer, where Marcela Borges met a woman in a scarf named Bianca.
Bianca began asking about details of their financial accounts, and ultimately the gang members were sent to Marcela's residence in Winter Garden. The abductors believed that Rubens had a lot of money, which placed Marcela's family in danger.
3) Marcela Borges and her family were asked for a ransom of $200,000
Though Rubens held a managerial position in a company, his primary job was to manage its finances. As per the Stranger Cases documentary, Bianca demanded a ransom of $200,000 from Rubins. Despite Marcela revealing that their entire savings did not amount to that figure, they refused to believe her.
From their home at Winder Garden, Florida, the gang members found a safe and threatened Rubins to reveal its code. They found $30,000 inside but were dissatisfied. Oscar, the most violent member of the gang, gave Marcela Borges an option for their freedom.
The next day, she was taken to the bank, where she was forced to withdraw their complete savings of $23,600 in exchange for setting them free. However, after Oscar received the money, he broke his promise and began to beat Rubens badly.
He pointed a revolver at Rubens' head as he screamed for help. The gun was then shifted towards Ryan, with Rubens being threatened to borrow $200,000 from his friends and colleagues.
4) Marcela Borges jumped out of a second-floor window to flee from the abductors
As per the Stranger Cases documentary, after keeping the family captive for almost two days, the gang members brought them to their residence in Silver Gardens, Florida.
On November 17, 2009, Marcela began to feel unwell. She asked Bianca to direct her to the kitchen, and as Bianca turned away, Marcela attacked her with the kitchen knife.
The two engaged in a struggle during which Marcela uncovered Bianca's mask and saw her face. Bianca soon called for help, and Marcela was recaptured. She was dragged upstairs and brutally beaten by Bianca with a stick. The family had been missing for a couple of days, raising concerns among the gang members about police exposure.
Knowing that they would eventually be killed, Marcela made a dangerous decision. She jumped from the second-floor window of their residence and landed on her hands and knees.
The fall created a loud noise that alerted the gang members. Marcela rushed to her neighbor Teresa Sheffield's door but was shot by Oscar from behind. However, Teresa realized Marcela's condition and called the police.
5) Rubin Morais was a client of Bianca and her mother's company
With Teresa's call, the police and medical personnel reached the scene. Marcela Borges was immediately rushed to the hospital for surgery. Rubens Morais was found gravely injured, while Ryan was found in a corner in the furthest room.
As reported by WFTV 9 on May 8, 2012, authorities managed to track down Victor Manual Sanchez and Miguel Diaz, who were captured less than a quarter mile away from the house. Oscar Hernandez was captured by the police the following day.
However, despite a rigorous investigation, the police failed to track down the main gang leader, Bianca dos Santos. As per intel, she flew to Bolivia to get away from the radar. During their investigation into the family's history, authorities found that Rubens was a client of a company run by Bianca and her mother.
They operated a firm that assisted clients with tax evasion, check fraud, and other financial matters. Before the invasion, the U.S. tax authorities informed Bianca's mother that they owed over $100,000 and needed to make payments or face imprisonment. As per the Stranger Cases documentary, Bianca was already aware of Rubens's financial details and thus planned the attack.
Both Miguel Diaz and Victor Manual Sanchez were sentenced to life in prison. Oscar Hernandez attempted suicide and was deemed mentally unstable. The police dropped charges against him, and eventually, the family decided not to pursue any further criminal investigation. However, Bianca dos Santos is still out of the authorities' reach.
To know more about the story of Marcela Borges' home invasion, watch Lifetime's Terror Comes Knocking: The Marcela Borges Story.
