Kriti Mehrotra
As a docuseries exploring one of the most baffling cases to have come to light in the past few years, Prime Video’s ‘Abandoned: The Woman in the Decaying House’ is unlike any other. It incorporates not only archival footage as well as dramatic recreations but also exclusive interviews to underscore the fact that a Brazilian couple was indicted in the US for allegedly abusing and enslaving a domestic worker for over 20 years. However, while Renê Bonetti was ultimately convicted, his wife Margarida Maria Vicente de Azevedo Bonetti allegedly got away by returning to her homeland – a fact that took the world by storm in 2022 thanks to the titular podcast.
Margarida Bonetti Became an Expat in the Late 1970s
Born and brought up in the affluent neighborhood of Higienópolis in São Paulo, Brazil, Margarida Maria Vicente de Azevedo Bonetti is truly no stranger to the world of prominence. That’s because while her businessman grandfather was a Baron who even featured on some local stamps, her father, Geraldo de Azevedo, was a renowned surgeon, and her Spain-born mother, Lourdes de Azevedo, reportedly had royal ancestry. Therefore, she, as well as her sisters, were always surrounded by extreme privilege while growing up, whether it be in the form of having any comfort they could ever ask for, better opportunities, domestic help, or social circles of fellow elites.
According to records, Margarida earned a Bachelor’s in Engineering upon graduating high school, but she chose not to pursue a career in the same; instead, she evolved into a socialite. She then tied the knot with a rising satellite engineer named Renê Bonetti in 1972, following which they happily settled down on the outskirts of the city and welcomed a baby boy into the world. She truly loved her life, but everything changed when her husband accepted a prestigious posting in the US to conduct extensive research at a telecommunications/satellite company called Comsat.
It was in 1979 when the Bonetti family, alongside their maid Hilda Rosa dos Santos, arrived in the tranquil suburban community of Montgomery Village, just outside of Gaithersburg, Maryland. As per reports, it was Margarida’s family who had suggested they take domestic help along since the young mother was so against moving, following which they essentially “gifted” them Hilda. After all, owing to a lack of education and resources, the maid had been working for the de Azevedos since the early 1960s, when she was around 19, whereas Margarida was merely 9 years old.
Margarida Bonetti Allegedly Abused the Help For Decades
While Margarida reportedly did not want to relocate, she did so under the condition that they would return within a year, yet the way Renê’s career skyrocketed made it extremely improbable. Thus, they made the best of their situation and settled down, even joining the local church as devout Catholics before dissociating themselves from the community as a whole amid arguments over leadership. According to their then-neighbors, the family kept to themselves to such an extent that all they knew was that they had a little boy named Arthur and a maid who never seemed to fit in.
Margarida, Renê, and Arthur were not only well-educated but also appropriately gave off the appearance of belonging to a wealthy family, yet Hilda was often seen in shabby clothes unsuited for the weather. In fact, the only time anyone remembered her being properly dressed was when the devout Christian family had her baptised not long after their move; otherwise, she seemed unkept and uncared for. This was to such an extent that she often even asked neighbors for food before one of them ultimately contacted the FBI in early 1998 upon befriending her and learning the truth. In the 19 years Hilda was with the Bonettis before managing to escape with the help of her neighbor friend, they had allegedly taken her passport and made her live in a chilly basement with nothing.
As per official records, there was a large hole in the floor covered by plywood, but no toilet or shower; all Hilda had was a metal tub she could fill with water hauled from upstairs. Her sleeping arrangement was also reportedly similar in the sense that while she had a cot, she made her own mattress from the thin, discarded mats she had managed to scavenge from the woods. Furthermore, according to documents, while she took care of the Bonetti home as well as helped raise Arthur, the refrigerator was kept locked so that she had no access to it, and Margarida allegedly abused her for years. This abuse was reportedly physical and medical because they also rarely took her to the doctors – she was allegedly slapped, punched, dragged, and made to live with injuries, as well as a tumor, for years.
Having Fled a Criminal Indictment, Margarida Bonetti Leads a Quiet Life
When the FBI started investigating Hilda’s case, they learned she was “extremely passive” because she was “fearful” of the Bonetti family, which is why she hadn’t left earlier. She was “traumatized” since she had “no voice” and “no rights” in their household, especially as they had also taken her passport as well as her visa, which had now long expired. So, in September 1998, they showed up to question Margarida, Renê, and Arthur, only for the mother of one to realize they were under investigation and fly to Brazil the next month. Her father had sadly passed away around this time, so she reportedly managed to travel back to her homeland of Brazil without being asked too many questions and never returned. The fact that Brazil doesn’t extradite its nationals didn’t help the authorities.
In the spring of 1999, Margarida and Renê were federally indicted on the charge of three immigration felonies related to harboring an undocumented person and causing her “serious bodily injury.” However, with the former being 4,000 miles away, only the latter stood trial for these counts in February 2000, during which his mother-in-law as well as one of his sister-in-laws testified in his defense. It also came to light during this period that the Bonettis had never once paid Hilda and that the missing co-defendant was secretly trying to sell their home to avoid any potential restitution payments. She was allegedly actively trying to have all assets and proceeds transferred to her in Brazil because neither she nor her husband wanted their now former maid to get any of their money. In the end, while Renê was sentenced to 6½ years in prison and reportedly ordered to pay $110,000 in restitution, Margarida settled in her childhood home in Higienópolis alongside her mother.
Lourdes de Azevedo sadly passed away in 2011, but her daughter continues to reside alone in this now run-down mansion that is surrounded by beautiful homes consistent with the neighborhood’s affluence. However, it’s imperative to note that while Margarida’s son lives nearby and one of her sisters is trying to sell off the property, she leads an anti-social life inside, surrounded by just her two dogs, Ebony and Ivory. She is also divorced from Renê, and while many have alleged she possibly struggles with her mental health today, she was cleared by professionals in the early 2020s during a wellness check by police. Moreover, although Margarida’s Higienópolis home itself is essentially a tourist attraction these days, owing to the 2022 Portuguese-language podcast on this case, she has long preferred to only go outside during evenings or to walk her dogs. The fact that she does so while obscuring her face with a heavy white cream and is only ever seen in fleeting glimpses hasn’t helped the mystery around her either. In fact, neighborhood children now call her “a bruxa”— the witch.
