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A 14-year-old Brazilian boy lost his life after injecting himself with a crushed butterfly mixture, in what authorities believe was linked to a social media challenge.
Davi Nunes Moreira experienced severe symptoms following the injection, including vomiting and mobility issues. The teenager, who had administered the butterfly-derived liquid directly into his right leg using a syringe, eventually succumbed to complications on February 13 at a hospital in Planalto, Brazil.
Teen died after injecting himself with butterfly for social media trend, spent 7 days in hospital. 💔 pic.twitter.com/Hx44aWaVji
— DramaAlert (@DramaAlert) February 19, 2025
Initially, when his parents noticed his deteriorating condition and limp, Moreira dismissed their concerns, claiming he had sustained an injury while playing. As his condition worsened, his family sought medical attention, but doctors were initially unable to identify the cause of his symptoms.
It wasn’t until Moreira was transferred to Vitória da Conquista General Hospital, where he spent his final week, that he revealed the truth about the injection, according to Mix Vale. Following the teenager’s death, his father discovered the syringe hidden beneath his pillow.
On February 16, family and friends gathered in Planalto to lay Moreira to rest. Meanwhile, the Civil Police of Bahia have launched an investigation and are awaiting confirmation of the cause of death from Brazil’s Technical Police Department.
14yo boy died after reportedly injecting himself with butterfly remains mixed with water, an online challenge
From BNC_News on TikTok: pic.twitter.com/scKBrrikNY
— Jesse Lee Peterson (@JLPtalk) February 20, 2025
“It could have been an embolism, an infection, or an allergic reaction,” said Luiz Fernando D. Relvas, a specialist at Hospital Santa Marcelina in São Paulo, Brazil, per the U.K. Daily Mail. “We don’t know how he prepared this mixture or the size of the fragments he managed to inject into the body. There may have been air left inside, which could lead to an embolism,” Relvas said.
Medical experts explain that an air or gas embolism occurs when gas bubbles enter the bloodstream through veins or arteries. Such conditions can impede blood flow in affected areas and, in severe cases, result in death.