Bodies believed to be those of UK journalist, expert found in Amazon: Reports

By Laura Gamba

BOGOTA, Colombia (AA) - The bodies of UK journalist Dom Phillips and indigenous expert Bruno Pereira were found in the Brazilian Amazon jungle, according to multiple reports.

Brazilian local media reported on Monday that the bodies had been found after search teams located one of the men's backpack and a pair of boots in the region where Pereira and Phillips were last seen a week ago.

Brazilian journalist Andre Trigueiro wrote on Twitter that Phillip's wife, Alessandra Sampaio, had informed him of the tragic news.

“Alessandra, Dom Phillips' wife, has just informed me that the bodies of her husband and of the indigenist Bruno Pereira have been found,” he said.

According to Trigueiro, Sampaio “received a call from the Federal Police informing her that the bodies needed to be examined.”

The British Embassy informed Phillip's brother-in-law that the bodies were those of the journalist and the indigenous expert, said Trigueiro.

“Everyone is waiting for the investigation.”

The finding was also informed to the journalist's family by the Brazilian ambassador, The Guardian newspaper reported.

Phillips, 57, and Pereira, 41, had not been heard from since June 5 after they traveled to the Amazon rainforest in western Brazil on a reporting trip. ​​The men were in the Sao Rafael community and were returning by boat to the nearby city of Atalaia do Norte when they disappeared.

A group of volunteers from different indigenous groups had been tirelessly searching for the journalist and the expert with no results so far.

It has been reported that Phillips and Pereira had received threats on the day before they went missing.

President Jair Bolsonaro said Monday that human parts were found floating in the river during the search for the men.

“The search continues, but the indications lead us to believe that they did something evil with them, because human viscera have already been found floating in the river," Bolsonaro said during an interview with a local radio station. The police, however, have not confirmed the findings.

Bolsonaro's government has been harshly criticized for the delay in the search for Phillips and Pereira.