The Real Story of Marcela Borges: From Survival to Resilience in Lifetime's Latest True Crime Drama

When armed intruders invaded her Winter Garden, Florida home in November 2009, Marcela Borges’ life took a devastating turn. What began as an ordinary November morning transformed into a three-day nightmare that would eventually inspire a Lifetime film adaptation. The harrowing account—now adapted into the true crime drama Terror Comes Knocking, streaming on Netflix—reveals how one woman’s quick thinking and courage saved her family from a home invasion that shocked Florida’s suburban communities.

The Attack: How It All Began

On the morning of November 15, 2009, Marcela Borges was at home with her five-year-old son Ryan and her husband Rubens Laureano Morais, a 48-year-old business owner. When masked gunmen arrived at their gated community residence, the situation escalated rapidly. One attacker fired a warning shot while another held a gun to young Ryan’s head—a terrifying moment that would haunt the family for years to come.

The intruders weren’t there by accident. They had targeted the family specifically, having learned details about their finances through Holiday Tax Travel & Services, the company where Morais had previously prepared business documents. The criminals demanded $200,000, an amount the family couldn’t provide. Despite this, the captors forced Borges to withdraw nearly $24,000 from her bank account while holding her family hostage.

Captivity and Torture

After ransacking the home safe and stealing $30,000, the gunmen blindfolded the family and transported them to a separate location in Apopka. What followed were three days of psychological and physical abuse. The criminals separated family members, applied restraints using duct tape and clothing, and continued demanding money. Borges’ husband recounted to authorities how the captors played Russian roulette—a terrifying game where they pressed a loaded gun against his young son’s head and pulled the trigger repeatedly.

The psychological toll was immense. Borges herself was repeatedly threatened with execution if she didn’t comply with the criminals’ demands. By the third day, trapped, beaten, and fearing for her family’s lives, she reached a breaking point that would ultimately lead to their salvation.

The Daring Escape

On day three, when one of the female kidnappers led Borges to the kitchen for water, opportunity met desperation. Borges grabbed a kitchen knife and managed to overpower her captor during the ensuing struggle. In the chaos, the woman’s mask slipped off, exposing her face to Borges—a detail that would prove critical but also dangerous.

Realizing Borges could identify her, the kidnapper brought her back upstairs and attempted to shoot her. When the gun misfired, the attacker beat Borges with both fists and the weapon, leaving her bloodied and alone in her son’s bedroom. Hearing voices in the adjacent room and believing her family faced execution, Borges made an extraordinary decision. She freed herself from her restraints, removed her blindfold, and jumped from a second-story window, sustaining gunshot wounds in the process.

Despite her injuries, Borges reached a neighbor’s house and called police. The gunmen fled before law enforcement arrived, and the family was transported to the hospital for medical care. Both Borges and her husband recovered from their injuries, though the emotional scars would persist much longer.

Behind Bars: The Perpetrators’ Fates

Investigators eventually identified four individuals behind the crime. The ringleader was Bianca Dos Santos, a 21-year-old from Bolivia, along with Oscar Diaz Hernandez (19), Miguel Diaz Santiz (25), and Victor Manuel Sanchez (20). Their outcomes varied significantly.

Sanchez stood trial in February 2012, where Morais provided devastating testimony about the family’s ordeal. Sanchez received a life sentence and remains incarcerated at Okaloosa Correctional Institution in Florida. His cousin Santiz similarly received a life sentence after pleading no contest, reportedly to spare the family from enduring another trial. He’s currently serving time at Everglades Correctional Institution.

Oscar Diaz Hernandez was slated for trial in 2012 but attempted suicide while held in Orange County Jail. Though initially surviving, he fell into a vegetative state. By April 2013, with no hope of recovery, Borges chose to drop charges against him. His family transported him back to Honduras, where Borges expressed compassion for his situation despite his role in her family’s trauma.

Bianca Dos Santos remains at large, her current whereabouts unknown. She fled the country and is still wanted on attempted murder charges for her actions during Borges’ escape.

Life After Trauma: Where Marcela Borges Is Today

Today, Marcela Borges has rebuilt her life in the same Winter Garden community where the attack occurred. She and her husband welcomed Lucas, the baby she was carrying during the invasion—a symbol of hope and renewal. In interviews from 2013, Marcela described Lucas as a healthy, intelligent, and joyful toddler, calling him her family’s “miracle baby.”

Beyond motherhood, Borges pursued education and personal growth. She attended Valencia College’s Nursing School and later studied at the University of Central Florida, demonstrating her determination to move forward. Her social media presence reveals a family that has intentionally chosen privacy, rarely discussing the traumatic events that defined a chapter of their lives.

The Lifetime film Terror Comes Knocking, which premiered in January 2025 and is now available on Netflix, brought the Marcela Borges true story back into public consciousness. Starring Dascha Polanco and other notable actors, the production dramatizes the family’s ordeal for contemporary audiences. However, it remains unclear to what extent the family participated in the film’s creation, as they continue maintaining their preference for privacy.

The true story of Marcela Borges serves as a reminder of both human vulnerability and extraordinary resilience—how ordinary people can find strength in their darkest moments to protect those they love.