BRASILIA, June 14 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Human remains have been found in the search for British journalist Dom Phillips and Brazilian indigenous expert Bruno Pereira, who disappeared in the Amazon after receiving threats, Brazil’s president said, as relatives said two bodies had been found.
“The evidence leads us to believe something bad was done to them, because human innards were found floating in the river, which are now undergoing DNA testing,” President Jair Bolsonaro told CBN Recife radio.
Phillips’s niece Dominique Davies said in a text message that “two bodies have been found” in the search, and that relatives were awaiting confirmation from federal police as to whether they are the missing pair.
Bolsonaro, whose government has faced accusations of failing to act urgently enough in the case, said hope was fading.
“I pray to God for that to happen, but the information and evidence we’re getting suggest the opposite.”
Britain’s Guardian newspaper, where Phillips was a regular contributor, said the bodies were found tied to a tree, according to information given to Phillips’s family by an aide to Brazil’s ambassador in London.
The police have confirmed they are analyzing a blood sample and suspected human remains found during the search to determine whether they are from the missing men.
The search has been complicated given the difficult jungle terrain in the far-flung Javari Valley, where the men had traveled by boat gathering material for a book Phillips was writing about sustainable ways to protect the world’s biggest rainforest.
Brazil’s government faces pressure from international media organizations, rights groups and high-profile figures over the case — fueling criticism of Bolsonaro’s policies on the Amazon, where illegal deforestation and other environmental crimes have surged since he took office in 2019.
“It’s been a week… and every day brings conflicting reports,” Natalie Southwick, Latin America coordinator for the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), said in a statement.
Irish rock band U2 became the latest to rally to the cause, joining Brazilian football legend Pele and iconic singer Caetano Veloso.
“Where are Dom Phillips and Bruno Pereira?” it reads.
The 57-year-old Phillips, a veteran correspondent and Pereira, who is a respected 41-year-old indigenous specialist went missing on June 5. The families have been enduring an anguished wait for news on their fate.
The two went missing while on a reporting trip to Brazil’s Javari Valley, a remote jungle region rife with illegal fishing, logging, mining and drug trafficking.
Meanwhile, it is reported that the police have arrested a suspect in the case. The 41-year-old Amarildo Costa de Oliveira, nicknamed “Pelado” was arrested in alleged connection to the case. Locals have said they saw him threaten Phillips and Pereira, then pursue their boat with his own just before they disappeared. — NNN-AGENCIES
