Human remains are found where Brazilian authorities are searching for British journalist

Human remains have been exhumed at the location where authorities were searching for British journalist Dom Phillips and indigenous expert Bruno Pereira, Brazil’s Justice Minister Anderson Torres said on Wednesday.

‘I have just been informed by the federal police that ”human remains were found at the site where excavations were being carried out”. They will undergo forensic analysis. Later today, those responsible for the investigations will hold a press conference in Manaus,’ Torres said on Twitter.

It comes hours after the brothers accused of killing and dismembering Phillips and his Brazilian guide were pictured in handcuffs as police led them to the area where the bodies were thought to have been left.

Federal police were seen taking a hooded man they called a suspect out on the river where the pair had disappeared. They did not comment on any confession, but local broadcaster Band News earlier reported both men had admitted to the killings. 

Both suspects were later formally identified as fisherman Amarildo da Costa, known as ‘Pelado,’ who was arrested last week on weapons charges, and his brother Oseney da Costa, 41, or ‘Dos Santos,’ who was taken into custody on Tuesday night. 

Heavily armed federal officers yesterday led fisherman ‘Pelado’ onto a boat and towards a remote river Atalaia do Norte where Phillips and indigenous expert Periera went missing earlier this month.

President Jair Bolsonaro said on Wednesday afternoon he expected the case to be wrapped up ‘in the coming hours’. 

Amarildo, 41, a fisherman, nicknamed ‘Pelado’, was seen by witnesses in a boat following Phillips and Pereira at high speed before their disappearance.

Local police found traces of blood on his boat which are being analysed, and personal effects of the two missing men near the home of ‘Pelado,’ who was arrested on June 7 and has denied any involvement.

They also seized firearm cartridges and an oar but did not say if they were found in the same place or where the latest suspect was arrested.

Oseney da Costa, 41, or ‘Dos Santos,’ is pictured leaving a courthouse in Atalia do Norte, Brazil on Wednesday June 15 after he was detained by military and civil officers the previous night

Suspects in the disappearance of British journalist Dom Phillips and his Brazilian guide Bruno Pereira have confessed to killing and dismembering the men. Pictured: Police with a man believed to be one of the suspects in Brazil’s Amazonas state of Atalaia do Norte

Heavily armed federal officers led the suspect onto a boat and towards the river where missing British journalist Dom Phillips and indigenous expert Bruno Periera went missing

 The families of veteran correspondent Dom Phillips (pictured), 57, and Pereira, 41, have endured an anguished wait for news since the pair disappeared a week ago Sunday

Bruno Araújo Pereira, an expert on the indigenous peoples of the Amazon, also went missing with his health ID card and clothes found alongside Mr Phillips’ backpack

Federal Policemen carry seized material, pictured Tuesday, including an oar during a search operation for British journalist Dom Phillips and indigenous expert Bruno Pereira

Federal Police officers seen Tuesday conducting a search operation for British journalist Dom Phillips and indigenous expert Bruno Pereira

Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro (pictured speaking in Florida, USA on Saturday) said he expected the case to be wrapped up ‘in the coming hours’

Local police found traces of blood on Pelado’s boat which are being analysed, and personal effects of the two missing men. Pictured: Federal police officers carrying boxes at the pier after searching for Indigenous expert Bruno Pereira and freelance British journalist Dom Phillips in Atalaia do Norte

The families of Phillips, 57, and Pereira, 41, have endured an anguished wait for news since the pair disappeared a week ago Sunday. 

It is believed they were on a trip to Brazil’s Javari Valley, a remote jungle region rife with illegal fishing, logging, mining and drug trafficking.

The search for the pair was nearing an end on Tuesday, as the area left to search grew smaller, a spokesman for indigenous group Univaja said.

In a statement police said Oliveira also known as ‘Dos Santos’ did not resist arrest for ‘alleged aggravated murder’ at his home in Atalaia do Norte, the Guardian was told. 

Brazil’s president Jair Bolsonaro announced on Monday that human remains had been found in the search, saying ‘something wicked’ had been done to them. 

‘The indications are that something wicked was done to them,’ Bolsonaro said, claiming that ‘human innards were found floating in the river, which are now undergoing DNA testing.’

But the Brazilian ambassador to the UK, Fred Arruda, has since apologised to Philips’ family.

He went on to say the embassy had been ‘misled’ by information it had received from ‘investigating officials’.

Flavia Farias (R), a relative of Dom Philips, cries with her friend Luis Fabiano (L) during a protest against their disappearances

The Javari region is an area notorious for illegal mining and drug trafficking, and the pair had reportedly faced threats before their disappearance

Mr Arruda wrote to the journalist’s family: ‘We are deeply sorry the embassy passed on to the family yesterday information that did not prove correct, 

‘On reflection, there was precipitation on the part of the multi-agency team, for which I wholeheartedly apologise,’ Arruda added, ‘The search operation will go on, with no efforts being spared.

‘Our thoughts remain with Dom, Bruno, yourselves and the other members of both families.’

On Tuesday, police said they had found personal items belonging to the two men, including Pereira’s health card, trousers and boots, as well as Phillips’s backpack and clothing.

Bolsonaro, whose government has faced accusations of failing to act urgently enough in the case, said hope was fading with each passing day.

‘Because of the time that’s passed – eight days now, approaching the ninth – it’s going to be very difficult to find them alive,’ the president told CBN Recife radio on Monday. ‘I pray to God for that to happen, but the information and evidence we’re getting suggest the opposite.’

Amariledo ‘Pelado’ da Costa was taken into custody by authorities in Amazonas, Brazil. His family claim he has been waterboarded by police in an effort to extract a confession

The Amazon hunt for missing British journalist Dom Phillips and Brazilian Indigenous expert Bruno Pereira was set to continue today. Pictured: Indigenous people in the Amazon rainforest take part in the search for the missing men in in Vale do Javari on Monday

Pictured: Boats belonging to members of the Union of Indigenous Peoples of the Javari Valley (UNIVAJA) are seen in this aerial photograph during the search for the two missing men

Veteran correspondent Dom Phillips and respected indigenous specialist Bruno Pereira, are believed to have gone missing in Vale do Javari, municipality of Atalaia do Norte, state of Amazonas, on Monday

Bolsonaro’s comments confirmed those by the families of the missing men that remains had been discovered, although the circumstances appeared to differ. 

Police officials later denied what the families were saying.

Mr Phillips’ brother-in-law Paul Sherwood told The Guardian on Monday: ‘[The ambassador] said he wanted us to know that… they had found two bodies.

‘He didn’t describe the location and just said it was in the rainforest and he said they were tied to a tree and they hadn’t been identified yet. He said that when it was light, or when it was possible they would do an identification.’

Mr Phillips’ wife Alessandra Sampaio also confirmed the discovery of the two bodies and niece Dominique Davies told AFP via text message that ‘two bodies have been found’ in the search.

Maria Sampaio, Mr Phillips’ mother-in-law, said afterwards she believed the two men ‘are no longer with us’ and had ‘given their lives in defence of the rainforest.’

Alessandra Sampaio, who had earlier made a tearful appeal for her husband’s return, reposted the sentiment and said she agreed.

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Brazil’s president Jair Bolsonaro (pictured last week) announced yesterday that human remains had been found in the search, saying ‘something wicked’ had been done to them

Pictured: An indigenous member of the Union of Indigenous Peoples of the Javari Valley trecks through the rainforest during the search for Dom Phillips and Bruno Pereira

Pictured: Indigenous members of the Union of Indigenous Peoples of the Javari Valley search for clues as to the whereabouts of Dom Phillips and Bruno Pereira

Pictured: Indigenous members of the Union of Indigenous Peoples of the Javari Valley search for clues as to the whereabouts of Dom Phillips and Bruno Pereira

Pictured: Boats belonging to indigenous members of the Union of Indigenous Peoples of the Javari Valley as they search for clues as to the whereabouts of Dom Phillips and Bruno Pereira

‘They are no longer with us,’ Maria wrote on Instagram on Monday. ‘Mother nature has snatched them away with a grateful embrace. The material has been undone and incorporated into the earth they so loved and respected.

‘Their souls have joined those of so many others who gave their lives in defence of the rainforest and Indigenous peoples.

‘Today they form part of an immense and pulsating vital energy that emanates from this immense greenery that is the heart of Brazil.’

Dominique Davies told AFP news agency via text message that authorities had informed the family two bodies had been found.

‘We are waiting on confirmation from the federal police (in Brazil) as to whether they are Dom and Bruno. We all remain upset and distressed at this time,’ she said.

However, federal police later said in a statement that reports that Phillips and Pereira’s bodies had been found were incorrect. 

The Union of Indigenous Peoples of the Javari Valley (UNIVAJA), which is taking part in the search, also denied two bodies had been found.

The police have confirmed they are analysing a blood sample and suspected human remains found during the search to determine whether they are from the missing men. They said the results of these analyses are expected ‘during this week.’

Indigenous people march to protest against the disappearance of Indigenous expert Bruno Pereira and freelance British journalist Dom Phillips, in Atalaia do Norte, Vale do Javari, Amazonas state, Brazil, Monday, June 13, 202

Dozens of indigenous protesters marched Monday (pictured) in Atalaia do Norte, the small city Phillips and Pereira had been headed to, demanding answers on their whereabouts

Pictured: Indigenous people protest over the disappearance of Phillips and Pereira on Monday

People hold signs during a vigil following the disappearance of British journalist Dom Phillips and indigenous expert Bruno Pereira in front of the headquarters of Brazil’s National Indian Foundation (FUNAI), in Brasilia, Brazil June 13, 2022

A woman cries during a demonstration to protest the disappearance, in the Amazon, of British journalist Dom Phillips and expert on indigenous affairs Bruno Araujo Pereira, in Copacabana beach, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Sunday, June 12, 2022

The first suspect – Amarildo da Costa de Oliveira – was arrested after finding traces of blood on his fishing boat along with illegal ammunition.

Samples of the blood are on their way from the western Vale do Javri region of the Amazon, a vast area the size of Ireland and Wales combined, to government laboratories in the jungle capital of Manaus for analysis.

In the meantime, a judge has granted police permission to continue holding Mr Oliveira – known as ‘Pelado’ – for further questioning.

He has pleaded innocence, saying he is a fisherman and the ammunition he was carrying was used for his trade. 

Alessandra Sampaio, Mr Phillips’ wife, said bodies have been found in the Amazon

Earlier, Elizeu Mayaruna, who works for indigenous agency Funai, told Reuters that, while searching the forest along the Itacoai river on Saturday, he found clothes, a tarp and a bottle of motor oil.

Mayaruna and two other members of an indigenous search team acquainted with Pereira, a former Funai official, said they recognised a shirt and pants that belonged to him.

Witnesses said they saw Pereira and Phillips, a freelance reporter who has written for the Guardian and the Washington Post, travelling down that river last Sunday.

The two men were on a reporting trip in the remote jungle area near the border with Peru and Colombia that is home to the world’s largest number of uncontacted indigenous people. 

The wild and lawless region has lured cocaine-smuggling gangs, along with illegal loggers, miners and hunters.

News of the pair’s disappearance resonated globally, with Brazilian icons from soccer great Pele to singer Caetano Veloso joining politicians, environmentalists and human rights activists in urging President Jair Bolsonaro to step up the search.

Reuters witnesses saw the stretch of riverbank were Mayaruna discovered the clothing cordoned off by police on Sunday morning as investigators scoured the area, with a half dozen boats ferrying police, soldiers and firefighters back and forth.

Federal police officers arrive at the pier with items found during a search for Indigenous expert Bruno Pereira and freelance British journalist Dom Phillips in Atalaia do Norte, Amazonas state, Brazil, Sunday, June 12

Police officers and rescue team members sit on a boat during the search operation for British journalist Dom Phillips and indigenous expert Bruno Pereira on Sunday

Phillips talks to two indigenous men while visiting a community in Roraima, Brazil, on November 16, 2019

Bolsonaro, who last year faced tough questioning from Phillips at news conferences about weakening environmental law enforcement in Brazil, said last week that the two men ‘were on an adventure that is not recommended’ and suggested that they could have been executed.

State police detectives involved in the investigation have told Reuters they are focusing on poachers and illegal fisherman in the area, who clashed often with Pereira as he organised indigenous patrols of the local reservation.

Some 150 soldiers had been deployed via riverboats to hunt for the missing men and interview locals, joining indigenous search teams who have been looking for the pair for a week.  

Meanwhile, Brazil’s government faces pressure from international media organizations, rights groups and high-profile figures over the case – fueling criticism of Bolsonaro’s policies on the Amazon, where illegal deforestation and other environmental crimes have surged since he took office in 2019.

Dozens of indigenous protesters marched Monday in Atalaia do Norte, the small city Phillips and Pereira had been headed to, demanding answers on their whereabouts.

‘It’s been a week… and every day brings conflicting reports,’ Natalie Southwick, Latin America coordinator for the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), said in a statement.

‘CPJ remains deeply concerned about the government’s insufficient response and lack of transparency. Brazilian authorities must stop dragging their feet.’

Irish rock band U2 became the latest to rally to the cause, joining Brazilian football legend Pele and iconic singer Caetano Veloso.

‘We are waiting to find out what has happened to these courageous men,’ the band tweeted, along with a red-and-black drawing of the pair by artist Cristiano Siqueira that has gone viral.

‘Where are Dom Phillips and Bruno Pereira?’ it reads. 

Bruno Pereira takes part in an Indigenous protest in Brasilia, Brazil, 2019 in this picture obtained by Reuters on June 10, 202

A GoFundMe page to aid the efforts to help Phillips and Pereira’s family has also been set up, raising $37,139 (£30,765).

Friends of the pair said: ‘At this tragic moment, when these families have so much to worry about, money should not be another concern. 

‘Dom, Bruno, Alê, Beatriz, and their children need our help not only to pay the bills, but also to cover new costs that emerge as they continue the search. Even the smallest donation is valuable. 

‘Together we can show that these brave souls are not alone and that we are united behind them.’