Tragic end for South African woman killed by ex in Brazil

Originally from Richards Bay in KwaZulu-Natal, McKenzie was shot and killed in Brazil just days after arriving in July 2025, allegedly at the hands of her abuser, Ian Alexander Bruder Hay.

McKenzie’s ordeal began in Houston, Texas, where she suffered a brutal assault at the hands of Hay, a 30-year-old military veteran.

In October 2024, he was arrested by the Houston Police Department on charges of Assault Family Violence impeding Breathing after holding her captive, inflicting multiple injuries, and making threats on her life, as per reports from Click to Houston.

Despite these grave threats, after being released on $50,000 bond, Hay fled to Brazil in December of that year, evading justice and leaving McKenzie to confront her trauma alone.

McKenzie managed to survive the harrowing incident in Houston, emerging with serious injuries that included three spinal fractures and significant head trauma. In an emotional GoFundMe post, she recounted the terror she experienced:

‘He had told me numerous times that he was going to kill me. As I feared for my safety, I tried to escape the apartment,’ she wrote.

On July 18, 2025, after months apart, McKenzie arrived in Brazil, apparently reuniting with Hay. The following day, tragedy struck. In a penthouse apartment in Curitiba, Hay shot McKenzie twice before taking his own life. Their bodies were discovered on July 20, following a concerning report from a nearby resident about blood seeping through the ceiling.

Inside the apartment, authorities found an unregistered pistol along with a 50-round drum magazine, a substantial amount of ammunition, narcotics, syringes, and six mobile phones, indicating a disturbing environment that exacerbated the already tragic situation.

The discoveries painted a grim picture of the chaos that ensued leading up to McKenzie’s death.

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