Wikipedia is often the first source people consult when researching a subject. Search engines, artificial intelligence systems, and other websites frequently draw information from Wikipedia, meaning that changes to an article can influence how events are publicly understood.
This page documents the history of the Burj Khalifa Wikipedia article as it relates to Laura Vanessa Nunes’ death. It traces the article’s development over time, the sources cited, and the discussions that followed.
Timeline of the Wikipedia Article
The following extracts preserve the wording used in different versions of the Burj Khalifa Wikipedia article over time.
Wikipedia March 2015 – Suicide
Following my visit to Dubai and my viewing of the CCTV footage, I added Laura’s death to the Burj Khalifa article on Wikipedia.
The extract below was retrieved from Wikipedia on 22 April 2026 and preserves the wording of the article as it appeared in March 2015.
18 May 2015
The Daily Mail article was added to the Burj Khalifa page. Following the denials by Dubai Police, I added information from the Medical Forensic Report, referred to here as the Dubai Coroner’s Report, to support the recorded location of Laura’s death. Unfortunately, I have not retained an extract from that version of the article.
April 2018 – Fatalities
Extract from the Burj Khalifa Wikipedia article following subsequent edits.
After the denials by Dubai Police I added the Medical Forensic Report, Dubai Coroner’s report in this edit, to prove that Laura’s body had been found on the third floor of the Burj Khalifa.
April 2023 – Controversies: Death
Extract from the Burj Khalifa Wikipedia article as it appeared in April 2023.
The Medical Forensic Report had previously been added to the article and was later removed due to Wikipedia’s conflict-of-interest guidelines.
November 2023 – Controversies: Deadly Incidents
Extract from the Burj Khalifa Wikipedia article as it appeared in November 2023.
Several subtle changes appeared between April 2023 and November 2023:
“the prior November 16, saying she fell”…became “the prior 16 November, claiming she fell”…
“indicated she jumped from the 148th floor”… became “indicated that the female tourist jumped from the 148th floor”…
“Controversies – Death” became “Controversies – Deadly Incidents”
22 May 2026 – Controversies: Incidents
Extract from the Burj Khalifa Wikipedia article as it appeared on 22 May 2026.
Further changes appeared between November 2023 and May 2026:
“disputed a report that a Portuguese tourist fell to her death”…to “disputed a report that a Portuguese tourist named Laura Vanessa Nunes fell to her death”…
“Emails obtained by Nine News from Portugal’s embassy in the UAE indicated that”…to “Nine News obtained emails from Portugal’s embassy in the UAE under freedom of information laws, which indicated that”…
September 2026 – Controversies: Incidents
Extract from the Burj Khalifa Wikipedia article as it appeared in September 2026.
On 18 May 2015, Dubai police disputed a report that a Portuguese tourist named Laura Vanessa Nunes fell to her death from the Burj Khalifa the prior 16 November, claiming that she fell from the Jumeirah Lake Towers.[127][128] Nine News obtained emails from Portugal’s embassy in the UAE under freedom of information laws, which indicated that the female tourist jumped from the 148th floor of the Burj Khalifa.[129]
No substantive changes have been made since May 2026.
Observations
Three aspects of the current wording deserve particular attention.
First, Laura’s death from the 148th floor of the Burj Khalifa was confirmed, not merely “indicated”.
Second, Nine News did not simply obtain emails. The broadcaster obtained material arising from a formal interview conducted under Portugal’s Freedom of Information Act with a senior Portuguese diplomat.
Third, the entry states that Dubai Police disputed a report. By that stage, the Daily Mail article had already been removed from Wikipedia after editors determined that it did not meet Wikipedia’s reliability requirements. There was therefore no Daily Mail report on the article for Dubai Police to dispute.
Notable Contributors
Emir of Wikipedia
In his 9News investigation, journalist Mark Saunokonoko highlighted the account “Emir of Wikipedia” because of its editing activity on pages relating to Dubai and its ruling elite.
According to publicly available edit histories, the account was involved in edits relating to the Burj Khalifa article during the period in question.
Following publication of the 9News investigation, the account appears to have become inactive under that username.
Editor Discussions and Article Corrections
In February 2026, I sought guidance from Wikipedia editors regarding historical versions of the Burj Khalifa article and the treatment of material relating to Laura Vanessa Nunes’ death.
Several editors explained that previous versions of Wikipedia articles remain publicly available through the article history and that all revisions can be reviewed and compared over time.
One editor wrote: “Every past edit to the article is available for you to review…the edit history of User: Emir of Wikipedia is public and available for you to review.”
For many years after Laura’s death, I never imagined that I would need to preserve historical versions of Wikipedia articles or other records relating to the way her death was represented online. As a result, some contemporaneous material was not retained.
During later discussions, questions were raised about the provenance and verification of the Medical Forensic Report. Those discussions ultimately reinforced the importance of documenting the history of the article and preserving the available evidence.
I also retain discussions between Wikipedia editors concerning the removal of material and the questions raised about that decision.
While researching and writing Suicide at the Burj Khalifa, I asked that the article relating to Laura’s death be corrected. It was not.
Explore Further
The Wikipedia article is only one part of the documentary record surrounding Laura Vanessa Nunes’ death. Additional material is available in the following sections: