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Remains of UK journalist Phillips identified

in Brazil
10 hours ago

Dom Phillips and Bruno Pereira disappearance

AFP
 Dom Phillips was writing a book on the Amazon

The remains of one of the two bodies found in the Amazon rainforest are
those of UK journalist Dom Phillips, Brazilian police have confirmed.

They say the identification was based on dental records.

The second body - believed to be that of indigenous expert Bruno Pereira - is

still being examined.

Mr Phillips, 57, and Mr Pereira, 41, were first reported missing on 5 June.
Earlier this week, a suspect confessed to burying the bodies.

The suspect was later named as Amarildo da Costa de Oliveira. The police said
he had explained in detail how both men were killed before leading officers to
the place where their bodies were buried.

GETTY IMAGES

The casket with the recovered human remains was transported earlier this week to the capital Brasilia for
analysis

Human remains were then dug up.

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The suspect's brother, Oseney da Costa de Oliveira, has also been arrested in
connection with the killings, but denies any involvement.

On Friday police announced that they had issued an arrest warrant for a third
suspect - Jeferson da Silva Lima, whose whereabouts are currently unknown.

'Dom was one of the best - quiet but curious'

Inside the Amazon's lawless Javari Valley

Aer the first suspect's confession, Dom Phillips' family said they were
"heartbroken".

Speaking on Radio 4's Today programme Mr Phillips' sister Sian Phillips said
his family had been aware there were risks but that her brother had under
played them to an extent.

Sian Phillips and Paul Sherwood, sister and brother-in-law of Dom Phillips, spoke to Radio 4's Today

"I think he was a leading light in journalism, he was shining a light on an area
which is a global problem," she said, adding that he had wanted to tell the
stories of the indigenous people who live in the Amazon.

Her husband, Paul Sherwood, said the family wanted justice which made it
"possible for journalists and protectors of the rainforest to feel safe in
continuing to report from and to help the indigenous people".
He said the family were almost certain that the pair were attacked by people
"involved in illegal fishing" but said what they wanted to know was whether
they were acting alone or with the involvement of "other powerful people".

Mr Sherwood said that drug trafficking and organised crime was involved with
illegal fishing in the region.

Brazilian police said they did not believe the suspects were acting as part of an
organised criminal gang.

"The investigations indicate that the killers acted alone, with no bosses or
criminal organisation behind the crime," police said, according to Reuters news
agency.

But local indigenous rights group Univaja, which played a central role in the
search for the men, said the circumstances suggested the opposite - that a
criminal gang was likely involved.

The group said: "The cruelty of the crime makes clear that Pereira and Phillips
crossed paths with a powerful criminal organisation that tried at all costs to
cover its tracks during the investigation."

It added that it had informed the federal police about the operation of such a
group in the Javari Valley on several occasions in the past few years.

GETTY IMAGES

Dom Phillips and Bruno Pereira went missing in the Javari valley, near Brazil's border with Peru

The pair went missing in the valley, a remote region in Brazil's far west, which
is home to thousands of indigenous people from more than 20 groups. It is a
refuge for these indigenous groups, who live in isolation from the outside
ld
world.

Mr Pereira had been introducing the journalist - who was writing a book on the
Amazon - to contacts and acting as his guide when their boat failed to arrive at
an expected point near the border with Peru.

Why is the Javari valley so dangerous?

Experts say the area has become a hotbed for crime because of its remoteness
and a lack of government oversight.

As well as clashes with poachers catching protected fish, it has also seen
incursions by illegal gold-miners, loggers and drug-traffickers who smuggle
cocaine from nearby Peru and Colombia.

Violence has also grown as drug-trafficking gangs battle for control of the
area's waterways to smuggle cocaine.

The region - which is about the size of Portugal - is known for violent conflicts
between these various criminal groups, government agents and indigenous
people. It was these conflicts that Mr Phillips and Mr Pereira were
documenting.

And days before the pair went missing, indigenous groups say Mr Pereira was
threatened for campaigning against illegal fishing. He had repeatedly reported
being threatened by loggers, miners and illegal fishermen in the past.

The search for the missing pair was initially criticised by relatives and
campaign groups, who called on officials to act more quickly and broaden its
scope.

As global outrage grew at the disappearance, the 10-day search expanded

until it involved the army, navy and police.

The police also initially failed to praise the work of the indigenous
communities who searched for the men and helped lead authorities to some of
their belongings.

When asked by the BBC why there was no mention of the local communities
helping, they admitted it was an error and conceded that their support had
been crucial.
More on this story

Amazon suspect leads police to human remains

2 days ago
Suspect admits burying pair missing in Amazon - police
2 days ago

Pair missing in the Amazon: 'A tragedy foretold'

5 days ago

Police find belongings of missing pair in Brazil

5 days ago
Related Topics

Indigenous Brazilians Amazon rainforest Brazil

Dom Phillips and Bruno Pereira disappearance

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