Brazilian police find boat of murdered British journalist Dom Phillips and five others arrested

By Judy J. Beasley Last updated Dec 3, 2022

Brazilian officials found a boat used by murdered British journalist Dom Phillips and local indigenous expert Bruno Pereira as cops made five other arrests in the case.

The speedboat, which was found on Sunday, was used by both men traveling through the Amazon rainforest before they disappeared, police said.

He was discovered submerged about 65 feet deep under the Itacoai River using six sandbags.

Police said the third suspect in the murders, Jeferson da Silva Lima, led them to find the boat.

The suspect – nicknamed ‘Pelado da Dinha’ in his community – surrendered to police on Saturday.

The next day, police said five other suspects helped hide the bodies of the two men.

Officials did not name the new suspects, saying ongoing investigations are aimed at “clarifying all the circumstances, motives and people involved in the case.”

Veteran foreign correspondent Dom Phillips disappeared while researching a book in the Javari Valley in the Brazilian Amazon with respected indigenous expert Bruno Pereira.

The investigation has drawn worldwide attention after the world’s most famous celebrities, lawmakers and sports stars called for more to be done to find the missing men.

Actor Mark Ruffalo, soccer legend Pele and US President Biden are among the notable names who have urged the Brazilian government to step up its tracing efforts.

The ‘Shutter Island’ actor took to Twitter as he called for an ‘international response’, highlighting the worrying number of journalists ‘attacked, killed or missing’, he first tweeted.

Experts from the Brazilian Federal Police are helping to find Dom Phillips and Brune Pereira.

After hearing the recent developments of the discovery of the remains of the two men, Ruffalo tweeted, “These developments are horrific. We must protect journalists from dangers and threats to their honorable work.

Football superstar Pele said he was “moved” by the disappearance of Phillips and Pereira, as he called on officials to step up their search efforts earlier this month.

Phillips, 57, and Pereira were last seen on June 5 on their boat on the Itaquai River near the entrance to the Javari Valley indigenous territory along the Peru-Colombia borders. The case quickly attracted international attention.

Army soldiers navigate a river during the search for Indigenous expert Bruno Pereira and British freelance journalist Dom Phillips.

Brazilian Federal Police officers arrive at a dock with human remains found during a search in Atalaia do Norte, Amazonas state.

According to the police, both were shot with hunting ammunition.

Suspect Amarildo da Costa Oliveira, a fisherman who says the police confessed to killing both victimshis brother, Oseney da Costa, and a third man, Jeferson da Silva Lima, were arrested.

Police say Amarildo, whose nickname is Pelado, confessed to shooting and killing the two men on June 14. He then led authorities to the area where remains were found.

The bodies of the men were discovered in an area where there have been violent conflicts between fishermen, poachers and government agents.

Oseney da Costa de Oliveira, 41, center, is led out of the courthouse by military and civilian police officers in Atalia do Norte, Amazonas state, Brazil.

A Federal Police officer escorts a suspect to a river in the area where Indigenous expert Bruno Pereira and British freelance journalist Dom Phillips disappeared.

UNIVAJA, the local indigenous association Pereira worked for, said the government failed to take into account that the men may have been targeted by a criminal organization funding illegal fishing and poaching in the valley’s indigenous territory. from Javari.

“This is why Bruno Pereira has become one of the main targets of this criminal group, along with other members of UNIVAJA who have received death threats,” the statement said.

The Post has contacted UNIVAJA for further comment.

With post wires