ATALAIA DO NORTE, Brazil, June 16 (Reuters) – Police have found human remains at the site where Brazilian authorities were excavating for British journalist Dom Phillips and Brazilian indigenous peoples expert Bruno Pereira, it said on Wednesday. the investigators.
The suspect, Amarildo da Costa, a fisherman who had opposed Bruno Pereira because of his efforts to combat illegal fishing in territories home to indigenous peoples, led police to a site where the remains were discovered, said Inspector Eduardo Fontes during a press conference.
Freelance journalist Dom Phillips and indigenous peoples expert Bruno Pereira disappeared earlier this month in a remote region of the Amazon jungle, on the border between Brazil, Peru and Colombia. The reporter was working on a book that would chronicle their trip.
This region, home to the largest number of uncontacted indigenous peoples in the world, has attracted cocane traffickers, as well as loggers, miners and illegal hunters due to its remoteness and difficult access.
Amarildo da Costa’s brother, Oseney da Costa, was arrested on Tuesday but he denies any involvement in the crime, despite evidence to the contrary. Police are also investigating the involvement of a third person and said further arrests could still be made. (Report Jake Spring and Bruno Kelly, with contributions from Peter Frontini, Steven Grattan and Pedro Fonseca, written by Anthony Boadle; French version Camille Raynaud)