Investigators claimed on Wednesday that they have discovered human remains in their search for British journalist Dom Phillips and Brazilian indigenous expert Bruno Pereira after a suspect confessed to killing them in the Amazon rainforest.
According to investigator Eduardo Fontes, the suspect, a fisherman who had feuded with Pereira over his efforts to prevent illicit fishing in indigenous land, led police to a distant burial location where the bones were discovered.
The news brings to a close a matter that has sparked international attention, hovering over President Jair Bolsonaro during a regional gathering and causing disquiet in the British Parliament.
Phillips, a freelance reporter who has written for the Guardian and the Washington Post, was doing research for a book about the journey with Pereira, a former head of federal indigenous affairs agency Funai’s isolated and recently encountered tribes.
They were in the Javari Valley, a remote rainforest area near the Colombia-Peru border that is home to the world’s biggest population of uncontacted indigenous people. Illegal fishers, hunters, loggers, and miners have infiltrated the area, and authorities say it is a major drug trafficking route.
Amarildo da Costa, aka “Pelado,” a fisherman who was arrested last week on firearms charges, was already named as the primary suspect. On Tuesday night, his brother, Oseney da Costa, 41, also known as “Dos Santos,” was arrested.
The boys’ public defenders could not be reached for comment right away. The relatives of the suspects had previously denied any involvement in the men’s disappearance.
The “first suspect” confessed and led police to the human remains, according to Detective Fontes, but the other suspect in custody has denied any involvement despite incriminating evidence. He stated that police are looking into the involvement of a third person and that more arrests could be made.
A witness told federal police in a report reviewed by Reuters that the Costa brothers were observed meeting on the Itacoai river only seconds after Phillips and Pereira walked by on June 5, heading for the riverside village of Atalaia do Norte.
Witnesses heard Pereira indicate he had received threats from Amarildo da Costa, according to the police report. Pereira, a former official with the indigenous affairs agency Funai, was essential in halting illegal gold mining, fishing, and poaching along rivers inhabited by Javari Valley indigenous communities.
The news of the men’s abduction reverberated around the world, with human rights organizations, environmentalists, and press advocates pleading with Bolsonaro to speed up the search after a sluggish start.
Bolsonaro, who was grilled by Phillips during a press conference about weakening environmental protection, said last week that the two men “went on an adventure that is not encouraged.”
Bolsonaro said on Wednesday that Phillips earned enemies by writing about environmental issues.
On Wednesday, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson told Parliament that he was profoundly concerned about Phillips’ disappearance and that his government was cooperating with Brazilian authorities in the investigation.
