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- BBC News World
Bruno Araujo (left) and Dom Phillips are still missing
One of those arrested in connection with the disappearance of British journalist Dom Phillips and native Brazilian Bruno Pereira confessed to killing and burying their bodies.
According to investigator Eduardo Fontes on Wednesday, one of the suspects, Amarildo da Costa, confessed and escorted the police to the scene, where human remains were found.
Police will now work with Interpol to confirm the identities of the bodies, as well as to determine the motive behind the killing.
Fontes said the suspect “reported in detail the crime that had been committed and indicated where the bodies were buried.”
Phillips, 57, who has lived in Brazil for more than a decade, and Pereira, 41, disappeared on June 5 in a remote part of the Amazon.
Police identified the two suspects as Amarildo da Costa, who was arrested last week for possession of weapons, and his brother Osini da Costa, who was arrested Tuesday and who denies involvement.
image source, Environmental Protection Agency
The British newspaper said Phillips was in the area with Pereira “working on a book on the environment”. guardianWhich the journalist cooperated on occasions.
Both were in a remote area of the jungle near the borders with Colombia and Peru, in the Yavari Valley, where the largest number of indigenous people who have no contact with the rest of civilizations live.
The area has been invaded in recent years by poachers, fishermen and miners, and the police consider it a major drug smuggling route.
According to the police report, several witnesses heard Pereira say that he had received threats from Amarildo da Costa.
Pereira, the former head of the government’s Funai Agency for Indigenous Affairs, was a key figure in curbing illegal gold mining and fishing in the area.
Phillips’ wife, Alessandra Sampaio, said in a statement: “While we are still waiting for final confirmation, this tragic outcome puts an end to the agony of not knowing the whereabouts of Dom and Bruno. Now we can bring them home and send them with my love.”
“Also today we begin our search for justice. I hope the investigation will examine all possibilities and give definitive answers to all relevant details as soon as possible.”
image source, Reuters
A suspect accompanied police on Wednesday in the area where Phillips and Pereira were missing.
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