Dom Phillips: Missing British journalist's backpack and boots found by search team

Dom Phillips: Missing British journalist's backpack and boots found by search team
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Jamie  Micklethwaite

By Jamie Micklethwaite


Published: 13/06/2022

- 07:29

Updated: 14/02/2023

- 11:03

Phillips and Brazilian indigenous affairs official Bruno Pereira vanished from a remote part of the Amazon last week

Search teams have discovered personal items belonging to missing British journalist Dom Phillips and Brazilian indigenous affairs official Bruno Pereira, Brazilian Federal Police said.

Mr Phillips, 57, and Mr Pereira, 41, vanished from a remote part of the Amazon last week and are believed to have been last seen early on Sunday June 5 in the Sao Rafael community.


In a statement, police said the uncovered objects included a backpack and a pair of boots belonging to Mr Phillips, as well as a health card, black pants, a black sandal and a pair of boots belonging to Mr Pereira.

The development comes as the family of Mr Phillips have said their hopes of finding him alive have faded.

People take part in a vigil outside the Brazilian Embassy in London for Dom Phillips and Bruno Araujo Pereira, a British journalist and an Indigenous affairs official who are missing in the Amazon. Picture date: Thursday June 9, 2022.
The search goes on for the missing pair
Victoria Jones

In a statement reported by The Guardian, Maria Lucia Farias Sampaio, Mr Phillips’ mother-in-law, said she believed the pair were dead.

“They are no longer with us”, she said.

“Mother nature has snatched them away with a grateful embrace. The material has been undone and incorporated into the earth they so loved and respected.

Family of Dom Phillips, (l-r) Sian Phillips, Gareth Phillips, Paul Sherwood, Helen Davies, Rhianna Davies and Domonique Davies, take part in a vigil outside the Brazilian Embassy in London for Phillips, a British journalist, and Bruno Araujo Pereira, an Indigenous affairs official, who are missing in the Amazon
Family of Dom Phillips, (l-r) Sian Phillips, Gareth Phillips, Paul Sherwood, Helen Davies, Rhianna Davies and Domonique Davies, take part in a vigil outside the Brazilian Embassy in London for Phillips, a British journalist, and Bruno Araujo Pereira, an Indigenous affairs official, who are missing in the Amazon
Victoria Jones

“Their souls have joined those of so many others who gave their lives in defence of the rainforest and Indigenous peoples. Today they form part of an immense and pulsating vital energy that emanates from this immense greenery that is the heart of Brazil.”

The paper said Mr Phillips’ wife, Alessandra Sampaio, reposted the statement on Instagram saying she agreed.

Reports emerged on Saturday that police searching for the two men had discovered human matter in the Itaquai River, near Atalaia do Norte’s port.

Authorities previously said blood found on a suspect’s boat had been sent for analysis.

Amarildo da Costa de Oliveira, 41, also known as Pelado, was earlier named as a suspect and arrested for allegedly carrying a firearm without a permit, a common practice in the region.

Police did not clarify why he was being treated as a suspect but he is thought to have been among a group of men who threatened the missing men near an indigenous territory on Saturday June 4.

A GoFundMe set up by friends of the men surpassed its 20,000 dollar goal early on Monday.

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