Brazilian search teams found possible human remains in search of a British journalist and indigenous expert, as the suspect’s family pleaded not guilty in the case.
Dom Phillips, a regular contributor to the Guardian and the Washington Post, and Bruno Pereira were last seen on Sunday in the Sao Rafael region of the Amazon rainforest, where they disappeared after passing through a lawless region by boat. .
This week’s events saw police find traces of blood on a boat belonging to the local neighborhood Amarildo da Costa, which is considered the main suspect in the couple’s disappearance.
Now, experts will investigate the “organic material” found in a river near the city of Atalaia do Norte in the Amazon rainforest, in what may be the longest break so far for the five-day investigation.
A Brazilian judge has ordered that the suspect da Costa, accused this week of illegal possession of restricted ammunition, be detained for another 30 days while police investigate his involvement in the case.
Police search the Itaquai River during the hunt for British journalist Dom Phillips and indigenous expert Bruno Pereira.AP
As the search for the two missing men increased, Brazilian officials deployed more than 150 soldiers in camouflaged trucks to the city of Atalaia do Norte to interview locals.
On Friday, officials deployed soldiers on river boats to inspect nearby waters.
Phillips was last seen with Pereira on Sunday in the Sao Rafael region of the Amazon rainforest. AFP via Getty Images
Costa’s lawyers and family said he legally fished in the river and pleaded not guilty to police.
Police say he was one of the last people to see the two individuals missing and suspects he was involved in the illegal fishing of a buyer in Peru.
Da Costa’s relatives claimed that the police were torturing him in an attempt to force a confession.
His fishing partner Osenei da Costa de Oliveira, 41, said on Friday that his brother was detained at home before being taken to jail.
“Then they put him on a boat in the sun and started traveling to Atalaia do Norte,” da Costa de Oliveira said.
“When they reached the Curupira stream, they put him in another boat. Then they beat him, tortured him, put his head under the water, trampled his leg, and sprayed his face with pepper. They also drugged him twice, but I don’t know what they used. “
“They wanted him to confess, but he is innocent,” he added.
Brazilian officials deployed members of the river boat research group to inspect nearby waters.AP
The suspect’s mother, Maria de Fatima da Costa, recalled seeing her handcuffed son arrive at a nearby port with police, saying he could barely walk alone and was wet.
“I told the police that I was not a criminal to be treated like that,” he said.
Proclaiming her son’s innocence, the suspect’s mother said traces of blood police found on his boat could have belonged to a pig he slaughtered a few days before his arrest.
More than 150 soldiers were deployed in camouflaged trucks in the city of Atalaia do Norte to interview the locals.
Blood stains are now being analyzed by lab experts.
In a desperate attempt to rid Costa of the charges, his family criticized the claim that he was armed and threw a gun at Phillips and Pereira.
The suspect’s father-in-law, Francisco Conceição de Freitas, said that da Costa – also known as “Pelado” in his community – waved an oar, not a rifle, at the two men just a day before they disappeared because he felt ” threatened “. ” for them.
Soldiers have been searching for Phillips and Pereira for five days after they disappeared as they passed through a lawless region by boat.
De Freitas claimed that the guards were armed, adding that da Costa wanted to make it look like he was also carrying weapons.
The family said Da Costa has no criminal record and his only previous confrontation with the law for being detained a few hours after police falsely suspected he was carrying drugs.
On Thursday, officials said a forensic officer and state police were checking to see if there was “possible genetic material” in the vessel that contained blood to see if it belonged to a human or an animal.
Local indigenous people joined in the search for the missing men in a region known for violent conflicts between fishermen, poachers and government agents.
Police are investigating six more people in connection with the disappearance of Phillips and Pereira.
Pereira, who recently received threats for his work in the fight against illegal fishing, and Phillips were on an information trip to the Javari Valley, a remote area of the jungle near the Peruvian and Colombian borders. disappear.
The region often sees illegal hunters and fishermen passing by, according to police.
Navy sailors search for Dom Phillips and Bruno Pereira on a speedboat in the indigenous area of the Javari Valley in Brazil on June 9, 2022. AP
Phillips, who has been reporting from Brazil for more than a decade, has been working on a book on preserving the Amazon.
Phillips has also contributed to the Washington Post and the New York Times. He currently resides in Salvador, a city in the state of Bahia in Brazil, with his wife, Alessandra Sampaio.
Actor Mark Ruffalo, football legend Pelé and US President Joe Biden are among the prominent names urging the Brazilian government to step up its efforts to find the men.
A volunteer diver helps Navy men in search of Dom Phillips and Bruno Pereira in the indigenous territory of the Javari Valley on June 9, 2022.AP
With post cables