(Atalaia do Norte) Brazilian police confirmed on Saturday the death of indigenous expert Bruno Pereira, whose remains were found in an isolated area of the Amazon with those of British journalist Dom Phillips who accompanied him, and that the two men had been killed by “firearms”.
Posted yesterday at 1:40 p.m.
Mr. Pereira’s remains “are among those” found by investigators, the Brazilian Federal Police (PF) said in a statement.
On Friday, she indicated that the first human remains discovered on the indication of a suspect were those of Dom Phillips.
Mr. Pereira was hit by three shots, including one to the head, and Mr. Phillips by a bullet to the chest, she added on Saturday.
Mr. Phillips, 57, longtime newspaper contributor The Guardianand Mr. Pereira, 41, a recognized expert on indigenous peoples, were in the Amazon as part of a book on environmental conservation.
They were seen for the last time on June 5, when they took a boat to Atalaia do Norte (north-west), in the Javari Valley, an area known to be dangerous where multiple drug trafficking, fishing or illegal gold mining.
A third suspect in these murders went Saturday morning to the police station of Atalaia do Norte, in the state of Amazonas (west), also announced the PF. The man, Jeferson da Silva Lima, is known as “Pelado da Dinha” and for being “an outlaw”, she added.
According to all the evidence and testimonies collected, “Pelado da Dinha was at the scene of the crime and actively participated in the double homicide”, police commissioner Alex Perez Timóteo told the G1 news site.
A first suspect was arrested on June 7: Amarildo da Costa de Oliveira, a 41-year-old fisherman, nicknamed “Pelado”, who admitted Tuesday having buried the bodies.
A second suspect, Oseney da Costa de Oliveira, known as “Dos Santos”, was arrested on Tuesday.
According to local media, the police are looking for a fourth suspect, information that has not been officially confirmed.
The double murder has sparked outrage around the world, with strong criticism of far-right President Jair Bolsonaro accused of promoting deforestation and encouraging resource exploitation in the Amazon since he came to power in 2019. .