Human remains have been found in the search for a missing British journalist in the Amazon rainforest.
Dom Phillips, a regular contributor of The Guardian newspaper in Brazil, was last seen in the Javari region, Amazonas state last weekend.
The 57-year-old writer was travelling in the remote area alongside Brazilian indigenous expert Bruno Pereira, 41, whilst researching a book before they disappeared.
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It is reported that the pair had received death threats over their fight against illegal fishing just days before their disappearance.
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Now, reports from the BBC suggest that search teams have found ‘apparently human’ organic material by a river in the Atalaia do Norte town in the Amazon.
A local fisherman was arrested in connection to the disappearances after blood was allegedly found on a tarp in his boat.
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The traces of blood were found on Amarildo da Costa’s boat, known as ‘Pelado’ by locals, who questioned in the town of Atalaia do Norte.
He has since been charged with illegal possession of restricted ammunition, according to reports.
Police in the area have said that the fisherman was one of the last people to have seen the men before they went missing.
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Amarildo’s lawyer, Davi Oliveira, told one publication that his client was not involved in the disappearance of Dom and Bruno. However, the lawyer has now moved away from this case, according to reports.
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Meanwhile, six other people have been questioned in line with the men’s disappearance. Around 250 members of security personnel have been conducting a search for the men, a significant increase from around a dozen in the first few days.
The team now includes divers and jungle terrain experts, while two helicopters are also being used in the case, as well as more than a dozen boats and drones.
Phillips has written extensively on the Amazon rainforest and has lived in the country for over 10 years. Pereira, meanwhile, was currently on leave from his role with the government’s indigenous affairs agency, Funai, and has expert knowledge of remote tribes in the area, the BBC has reported.
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Both of them were travelling in the district for around a week and travelled to Jaburu lake on Friday via boat.
They were expected to make a return to Atalaia do Norte town last week, according to two indigenous groups in the area, but the pair never arrived as expected.
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