Suspect confesses to killing missing British journalist and Indigenous rights expert in Brazilian Amazon, authorities say.
The names of missing journalist Dom Phillips and indigenous expert Bruno Pereira are projected onto the Tower Bridge in London.Dom Phillips and Indigenous rights expert Bruno Araujo Pereira has now turned into a homicide investigation, Brazilian federal police confirmed to ABC News on Wednesday.
The latest development comes after human remains were found on Friday in the remote Javari Valley region of Brazil, near the border with Peru. Police told ABC News on Wednesday that forensic exams are still being conducted on the remains to positively determine if they are Phillips and Pereira. In this Nov. 14, 2019, file photo, veteran foreign correspondent Dom Phillips visits in a mine in Roraima State, Brazil.Federal police identified Oseney da Costa Oliveira, as the man detained for questioning in the missing persons case. He is the brother of Amarildo da Costa Oliveira, who has been detained since last week after blood was found on his fishing boat. Police are testing the blood to see if it matches either of the missing men.
Phillips, 57, and Pereira, 41, were last heard from by colleagues while traveling by boat in the Javari Valley region of the Amazon, relatives said. "We want to find out what is happening to them and we want anyone responsible for any criminal acts to be brought to justice," Phillips' sister, Sian Phillips, said. "We want a persistent, deep and open investigation."