A 49-year-old Brazilian bricklayer has been left stranded and heartbroken after selling all his possessions and travelling about 1,200 miles to meet an online lover, only to discover that the woman was an artificial intelligence-generated creation.
Edimar Rocha Martins reportedly abandoned his life in Imperatriz, Maranhão, and travelled to Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, believing he would meet and marry a woman he had fallen in love with online.
His romance began in 2020 when he encountered a social media account belonging to a woman identified as Jéssica Oliveira, also known as Jessica Fazendeira.
The account, which reportedly had about 300,000 followers, featured videos of the supposed woman expressing her desire to find a partner willing to live and work with her on a farm.
The online personality also reportedly promised financial support, further strengthening Martins’ belief that he had found a genuine partner.
Driven by loneliness and the desire for companionship, Martins made a life-changing decision on October 9, 2026, selling his belongings to finance the long-distance journey.
“I sold all my things; I got rid of everything,” he said.
However, his hopes were shattered when he arrived in Belo Horizonte on October 11 and discovered that the woman he had travelled so far to meet did not exist.
After searching unsuccessfully for clues about her whereabouts, Martins approached a local radio station, where staff informed him that the online personality was fictitious.
“I went to the radio station there, and they said no, that’s fake news, that woman doesn’t exist,” he recounted.
With his money exhausted and his possessions sold, Martins sought assistance from the Belo Horizonte City Hall, where he explained his predicament to social workers.
He attributed his decision to the loneliness he had experienced and his longing to find a partner.
“It only brings sadness, discouragement, depression. Many people wanted to find a relationship, so I came,” he said.
Following the incident, the creator of the TikTok account publicly acknowledged that the woman was generated using artificial intelligence and denied having any direct communication with Martins.
“I came here to state the obvious: I am made of artificial intelligence. I never spoke directly to anyone, much less took anyone to Belo Horizonte,” the creator said.
Martins is now staying with a family member as he attempts to recover from the ordeal.
Despite the disappointment and financial losses, he reportedly remains hopeful of finding genuine companionship in the future.
