Two bodies were found in the Amazon rainforest as part of a search for the missing Merseyside journalist Phillips House.
Mr. Phillips, who grew up in Bebington, Viral, traveled to a remote part of the rainforest in western Brazil with local expert Bruno Pereira. The two men were on a reportage trip for Mr. Phillips’ upcoming book, but have not been seen since Sunday, June 5th.
And now Brazilian media report that human remains were found only days after police confirmed that clothes and personal belongings belonging to the men were found during a search in the Hawari area. Last week, LancsLive reported that Mr Phillips’ 56-year-old sister Sian Phillips was still hoping her brother would be found alive.
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But her partner, Paul Sherwood, 60, later described in detail how Dom and Bruno had been attacked earlier in the trip. He said: “They met armed men in boats and were threatened at an earlier stage of their journey.
“I would say the situation has looked very bleak over the last few days,” he said, adding that Sian was understandably “very upset”, while his brother Garrett, also 56, had now joined them in Lancaster. Local groups claim that Mr Phillips and Mr Pereira had previously received threats for their work in support of the rights of indigenous peoples in the region.
According to the BBC, both men were threatened because of their work in the local area, where illegal fishing, logging, mining and drug trafficking are observed. A man, Amarildo da Costa de Oliveira, was arrested by authorities and seen threatening the couple the day before they disappeared.
Traces of blood found on Da Costa’s boat and what police said was “apparently human organic material” have been sent to forensics. Police were given an additional 30 days to keep Da Costa in custody as he continued his investigation, but his lawyer denied that he had played a role in the men’s disappearance.
Mr Phillips has lived in Brazil for more than a decade, during which time he has earned a reputation as a respected journalist with a deep knowledge of the region. He was also a longtime contributor to the Guardian.
Paul said the experience was a “nightmare” for Dom’s wife, Alessandra Sampaio. He told LancsLive: “She’s having a hard time – she was the person who called me on Monday to let me know that this happened and she was very worried at the time and it was just a nightmare for her.”
Paul explained that Mr. Phillips was researching a book called How to Save the Amazon, which would seek to explore changes in policy and economic measures that could be taken to reverse the decline in the Amazon.
He added: “He was trying to draw attention to the increasingly dangerous situation facing the indigenous people and the threats they face. It is quite possible that he was the target of many people; the activities of many people were revealed. “
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