A suspect in the case of missing British journalist Dom Philips and Brazilian government employee Bruno Pereira has admitted killing the two, Brazil’s federal police said in a news conference. The suspect led police to the burial site of the bodies, where human remains were subsequently found. Police will work with Interpol to identify the bodies.
Just before the press conference, Brazilian Justice Minister Anderson Torres already announced via Twitter that the police had found human remains. That a suspect had admitted to the murder was already mentioned by Brazilian media earlier on Wednesday (local time). Two brothers have been arrested in the case. Police say more arrests may follow.
For days there has been uncertainty about the fate of the two, who have been missing for more than a week. On Monday, Phillips’ wife said the men had been found dead in the Amazon rainforest, but authorities denied that. President Jair Bolsonaro did say that human remains have been found, but a search team later denied this.
Phillips writes for the British newspaper The Guardian and Pereira works for the Brazilian government agency for indigenous affairs. The two were on an expedition together in the Javari Valley, along the border with Peru. They were said to be interviewing for a book on conservation in the area that is the scene of illegal fishing, logging, mining and drug trafficking.