Dom Phillips and a native official who worked with him, Bruno Pereira, have not appeared since Sunday morning. They disappeared from a remote part of the rainforest in an isolated area on the border with Peru and Colombia. Police have confirmed that they are investigating possible human remains found in the Itaquai River, near the port of Atalaia do Norte. The couple was known to be returning to the area by boat but never arrived. Mr Phillips and Mr Pereira were last seen in the community of Sao Rafael in the Javari Valley, Brazil’s second largest indigenous territory. Brazilian authorities have arrested a suspect, fisherman Amarildo da Costa de Oliveira, also known as Pelado. He was arrested on a charge of possession of a firearm before being charged with murder, and investigators say blood samples found on his boat were sent to a laboratory for forensic examination. His family insists he is innocent, denied that he fished illegally and claimed he was tortured to plead guilty in a case that has received international attention. The Brazilian authorities were accused of responding too late to requests for a full investigation. Mr Phillips’s wife directly appealed to the government in a video with tears in her eyes to provide more resources for the effort. Violence by so-called “rainforest mafias” by human rights groups has increased in recent years (Image: AFP) Mr Pereira worked as an official in the area and recently spearheaded efforts to defend the area from illegal fishermen and poachers. Campaigners say violence against indigenous communities that stands in the way of illegal businesses has increased under the chairmanship of Jair Bolsanaro, who has curtailed protections and opened the door to logging. Sian Phillips, the journalist’s sister, called on the government to put further pressure on the Brazilian authorities to find out the truth. He told the BBC: “We want to know what is happening to them and we want anyone responsible for any crime to be brought to justice. “We want a persistent, deep and open inquiry.” Contact our news team by emailing us at [email protected] For more stories like this, check out our news page.
