Brazilian authorities are investigating traces of blood found during the ongoing search for a British journalist and local expert, as Hollywood celebrities, sports stars and lawmakers are making urgent calls for action to find the men.
The House of Phillips, a regular contributor to the Guardian and the Washington Post, and Bruno Pereira were last spotted Sunday in the Sao Rafael area of the Amazon rainforest, where they disappeared after crossing an illegal area by boat.
Now two men who were with the couple the day before they went missing said on Thursday that they were trying to signal the authorities’ help after being threatened by three local fishermen who shot them with their weapons the day before they disappeared.
Paulo Marubo, president of the Indigenous Association of the Havari Valley, Univaja, said Phillips had taken a picture of the men at the time, including local Amarildo da Costa, who is believed to be the prime suspect in the couple’s disappearance.
Phillips House was last seen with Bruno Pereira on Sunday in the Sao Rafael area of the Amazon rainforest. AFP via Getty Images
After being threatened by locals, the two men, who were with Phillips and Pereira, said they had gone to a nearby federal base to seek help from officials.
The base houses the office of the Brazilian Bureau of Indigenous Affairs, known as FUNAI, as well as police officers from the National Guard.
“We went there, but they didn’t do anything,” said Raimundo Majoruna, one of the men who was with Phillips and Pereira the night before they disappeared. “They did not pursue Pelado at all. They didn’t want to help us. “
Navy sailors search for the House of Philips and Bruno Pereira in a speedboat in the local area of the Havari Valley in Brazil, June 9, 2022. AP
CALLS FOR ACTION
Actor Mark Ruffalo, football legend Pele and US President Joe Biden are among the notable names who have called on the Brazilian government to step up efforts to find the missing men on Sunday.
There must be an international response to this. It should be noted that journalists tend to be attacked, killed or disappear in “democracies” that deviate to the right. https://t.co/0pBQGOpUIL
– @MarkRuffalo June 9, 2022
The Shutter Island actor turned to Twitter when he called for an “international response”, highlighting the alarming number of journalists who have been “attacked, killed or missing”.
“There must be an international response to this. The tendency is for journalists to be attacked, killed or disappear in “democracies that deviate to the right,” Ruffalo wrote on Twitter.
Football superstar Pele said he was “moved” by the disappearance of Phillips and Pereira, as he called on leaders to step up their search efforts.
“The struggle to protect the Amazon forest and local groups belongs to all of us,” the multiple Golden Ball winner wrote on Twitter.
“I am starting from the disappearance of Dom Phillips and Bruno Ferreira, who are dedicating their lives to this cause. I join the many voices calling for increased demand. “
The struggle to protect the Amazon forest and local groups belongs to all of us. I am moved by the disappearance of Dom Phillips and Bruno Ferreira, who have dedicated their lives to this cause. I join the many voices calling for increased demand.
– Pele (@Pele) June 8, 2022
Brazilian actress Camila Pitanga also spoke about the ordeal on Twitter, writing: “WHERE IS BRUNO AND HOME? @govbr @DefesaGovBR and @policiafederal, Bruno and Dom have been missing for more than 48 hours and we need ALL the resources we need to find them as soon as possible.
“The neglect of environmental activists must end.”
On Thursday, President Biden met with Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro in Los Angeles to discuss what is being done to find the missing men.
WHERE IS BRUNO AND HOME? @govbr @DefesaGovBR e @policiafederal, Bruno e Dom estão desaparecidos há mais de 48 horas e precisamos de TODOS os recursos necessários para encontrá-los o quanto antes. The place with ambient activities is just right.
– Camila Pitanga (@CamilaPitanga) June 8, 2022
As the two met for emergency talks, two trucks parked in the middle of the boulevard showed illustrations of Phillips and Pereira, along with the message “THREATENED. NOW MISSING. WHERE ARE HOME AND BRUNO?
Several U.S. lawmakers have called for action on Twitter, including Sen. Ed Markie, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
I am concerned by reports that Bolsonaro of Brazil wants to avoid discussing the deforestation of the Amazon and efforts to undermine the integrity of the upcoming elections in Brazil at this week’s US summit. The United States must put pressure on him on both issues.
– Ed Markie (@SenMarkey) June 8, 2022
“I am concerned by reports that Bolsonaro of Brazil wants to avoid discussing the deforestation of the Amazon and efforts to undermine the integrity of the upcoming Brazilian elections at this week’s US summit. The United States must put pressure on him on both issues, “he tweeted.
CASE DETAILS
Police found blood on a boat belonging to local fisherman da Costa, who was arrested and questioned by cops.
On Thursday, officials said a forensic scientist and state police were checking the boat’s “possible genetic material” containing blood stains to see if it was human or animal.
A volunteer diver assists the Navy in the search for the House of Phillips and Bruno Pereira in the local Havari Valley on June 9, 2022.AP
Da Costa, also known as Pelado in his community, has been accused of illegally possessing limited ammunition.
Police say he is one of the last people to see the two missing persons and suspect he is involved in illegal fishing for a buyer in Peru.
In an effort to search for the two missing men, authorities say they are focusing on people involved in illegal fishing and poaching in local lands.
Police are investigating six other people in connection with the disappearance of Phillips and Pereira.
Pereira, who recently received threats for his work in the fight against illegal fishing, and Phillips were on a report trip to the Havari Valley, a remote area of the jungle near the Peruvian-Colombian border, when they disappeared.
Illegal hunters and fishermen often cross the area, according to police.
Phillips, who has been reporting from Brazil for more than a decade, is working on a book on the conservation of the Amazon.
Phillips also contributed to the Washington Post and the New York Times. He currently lives in El Salvador, a city in the Brazilian state of Bahia, with his wife Alessandra Sampaio.
With postal wires
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