The two have been missing for a week. The journalist was threatened because of his work. The Brazilian navy also helped in the search. Blood has already been found on a local fisherman’s boat. Police are still investigating whether that came from one of the two missing.
According to local media, the items were found near the home of a man arrested in the case. Witnesses saw him chasing Philips and Pereira upriver. The police have now searched an area of about 25 square kilometers but have not yet found the men. There is little hope that they will be found alive.
Pereira worked for the Brazilian government agency for indigenous affairs and conservation. Previously, as a civil servant, he was responsible for protecting the tribes that have almost no contact with the outside world. Pereira has long been threatened by loggers and miners who want to take these areas.
As a freelancer, Philips wrote for the British newspaper The Guardian, among others. They were out in the Javari Valley, near the border with Peru, doing interviews for a book the journalist was working on. More and more illegal activities are taking place in the area, such as fishing, logging, mining and drug trafficking.