Personal items of journalist, indigenous expert found in Amazon

Brazil’s Federal Police found personal items belonging to indigenous expert Bruno Pereira and journalist Dom Philips, missing since June 5 in the area of indigenous reserve Vale do Javari, in the Amazon. In a statement, the Federal Police said they found a healthcare card with Bruno Pereira’s name on it and other objects belonging to him and to Dom Phillips.

The items were located after river searches with aerial reconnaissance over a stretch of 25km of the Itaquaí river, where another boat was found, apparently belonging to Amarildo Costa Oliveira, who has been arrested.

The belongings were located by divers with the Fire Department, who are also members of the task force conducting the search. The items reported were a healthcare card, black pants, a black slipper, and a pair of boots belonging to Bruno Pereira; as well as a pair of boots and a backpack belonging to Dom Philips, with personal clothes in it.

The search is now in its eighth day today. Also on Sunday (12), local indigenous association UNIVAJA said it had found a new boat in the same region where the search for the indigenous advocate Bruno Araújo Pereira and the British journalist Dom Phillips is being carried out.

“The search team reached a location where traces at the edge of the ravine indicate a boat could have been dragged there. This was relayed to investigation authorities. As a result, the site was isolated so that search and assessment may be carried out,” a statement by UNIVAJA legal attorney Eliésio Marubo reads.

The note adds that a boat that may be owned by Amarildo da Costa Oliveira, who was also located in the vicinity. “The information regarding the ownership of the boat still pends confirmation from the authorities,” the text underscores.