Brazil Police said a suspect has confessed to shooting missing British journalist, Dom Phillips and Indigenous Expert, Bruno Pereira.
Detective Eduardo Fontes said the man, Amarildo da Costa de Oliveira, took investigators to a site where human remains were dug up. He said police would work with Interpol to confirm the bodies’ identities. Mr. Phillips, 57, and Mr. Pereira, 41, disappeared in a remote part of the Amazon rainforest on Sunday, June 5, 2022. Two suspects, who are brothers; Amarildo and Oseney da Costa de Oliveira, are both in police custody for their connection with the case.
Detective Fontes told journalists the “first suspect”, Amarildo, “recounted in detail the crime that was committed and indicated the place where he buried the bodies”. However, his brother, Oseney, denied any involvement. According to the Police, they expect to carry out further arrests, and the motive for the killings is under investigation.
Response from Philips’ Wife
Mr. Phillips’ wife, Alessandra Sampaio, noted in a statement that “Although we are still awaiting definitive confirmations, this tragic outcome puts an end to the anguish of not knowing Dom and Bruno’s whereabouts. Now we can bring them home and say goodbye with love”.
“Today, we also begin our quest for justice. I hope that the investigations exhaust all possibilities and bring definitive answers on all relevant details as soon as possible.”
Mr. Phillips’ wife, Alessandra Sampaio
Again, she expressed her thanks to everyone involved in the search for her husband and Mr. Pereira, “especially the indigenous peoples and Univaja”. Univaja, the region’s indigenous association, was the first to alert authorities when the pair went missing, after the latest reports, the group expressed its “deep sadness” following the news from the Police.
It said of the men’s deaths that “Univaja understands their murder is a political crime, they were both human rights defenders and died doing work to look after us indigenous people from Vale do Javari”.
About the Missing two
Britisher Mr. Phillips has been living in Brazil for more than a decade and was a long-time contributor to the Guardian Newspaper. Prior to his death, he was working on a book about the Amazon. Mr. Pereira, a Brazilian on the other hand was on leave from his post with the government’s indigenous affairs agency, Funai (the Brazilian government body that establishes and carries out policies relating to indigenous peoples), was an expert on isolated tribes.
Days before Mr. Phillips and Mr. Pereira went missing, indigenous groups said Mr. Pereira was threatened for campaigning against illegal fishing in the area. Some of their belongings, including clothes and a laptop, were found on Sunday, June 5, 2022.
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