Abandoned: The Woman in the Decaying House recap – Unveiling the horrors of abuse directed towards domestic work

Abandoned: The Woman in the Decaying House is a chilling true-crime docu-series streaming on Prime Video. Set in São Paulo, Brazil, it unravels the disturbing investigation of an elderly woman discovered living in a crumbling, abandoned building. Decades later, a survivor steps forward to recount the harrowing abuse and torture inflicted by the woman, finally exposing the horrors hidden for 30 years.

The story made headlines in 2022, when it was reported that a domestic worker was employed illegally in the United States and was assaulted by the couple, Margarida and Renee Bonetti. The three gripping episodes of Abandoned: The Woman in the Decaying House, aka A Mulher da Casa Abandonada, recap the disturbing story, brought to light by journalist Chico Felitti. The documentary series is directed by Katia Lund with Livia Gama and Yasmin Thayná, and produced by Amazon MGM Studios.

Abandoned: The Woman in the Decaying House recap

When journalist Chico Felitti came upon a mysterious woman living in an abandoned house in the upscale neighborhood of Higienópolis, São Paulo, he got inquisitive. He finally spoke to Margarida Bonetti, who, despite telling him that she would talk to him, never did.

Chico would go on to share her story on his podcast, which drew the attention of everyone, including the law authorities. While there were no complaints against her, the police wanted to find out about what was happening in the house. When Margarida was not compliant with the officers, they decided to break in.

As per Abandoned: The Woman in the Decaying House, Margarida lived in a house that was out of shape and unsanitary. Even though they found the house stinking and unclean, they were unable to get her out of the house, and without any proper complaint, they could not do anything about it.

However, Chico’s investigation into Margarida did bring up one of the more shocking details. He would discover that her name was on the FBI wanted list and she had been hiding in the house for years.

It is revealed that the Bonetti family and their maid, Hilda Rosa Dos Santos, had moved to Montgomery Village, near Maryland, in 1979. Even though Margarida was against the move, her husband’s lucrative job opportunity made them relocate. Everything changed for the family after that.

Stories of abuse come to light in Abandoned: The Woman in the Decaying House

Hilda had been working for her family from when she was really young, as per Abandoned: The Woman in the Decaying House. Margarida and her husband kept the maid in terrible conditions with no access to even basic means. She lived in the basement of the house. And over and above this, Hilda was also physically abused. Margarida even put a lock on the refrigerator, so the maid had no access to food.

The mistreatment of Hilda did not go unnoticed by the neighbors. When they got the opportunity to speak to the maid, they learnt of all the horrors she was being put through. Having experienced years of abuse, Hilda also became complicit, unable to find her voice. Her passport was with Rene, which had expired, and she had no legal documents. She couldn't get help without raising some serious concerns.

The neighbors decided to help Hilda the best they could. Her medical conditions, meanwhile, had taken for the worse as her tumor was getting worse, and so was a wound on her leg, as she was not getting any medical attention.

Margarida continued to ill-treat her, even taking away the money that others gave Hilda to help her. When the FBI learnt the details of the domestic worker and her illegal status, they pressed charges against the couple. But just before they could go on trial, Margarida left for São Paulo to escape her fate. But Rene was sentenced to about six years in prison and was ordered to pay $110,000 in restitution to Hilda.

We also learn in Abandoned: The Woman in the Decaying House that Margarida came from an immensely wealthy family. Her family had always abused Hilda, ever since she started working for them. She was made to believe that she would remain unemployed if she lost this job. Even though Margarida is not part of the documentary, she told Chico in an interview that Hilda made up the lies about the abuse, and the accounts are untrue.

Margarida continues to live in the mansion, while her husband is in the United States. They are divorced. Hilda never returned to Brazil and lives in the US.

Watch Abandoned: The Woman in the Decaying House on Prime Video.

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