Brazilian Police: Suspect Admits Killing UK Journo & Local Scholar in Amazon

© AP Photo / Bruna PradoBrazilian actress Lucelia Santos takes holds a poster with the images of British journalist Dom Phillips, left, and expert on indigenous affairs Bruno Araujo Pereira following their disappearance in the Amazon, during a protest in Copacabana beach, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Sunday, June 12, 2022. Federal Police and military forces are carrying out searches and investigations into the disappearance of Phillips and Pereira in the Javari Valley Indigenous territory, a remote area of the Amazon rainforest in Atalaia do Norte, Amazonas state. (AP Photo/Bruna Prado)
Brazilian actress Lucelia Santos takes holds a poster with the images of  British journalist Dom Phillips, left, and expert on indigenous affairs Bruno Araujo Pereira following their disappearance in the Amazon, during a protest in Copacabana beach, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Sunday, June 12, 2022. Federal Police and military forces are carrying out searches and investigations into the disappearance of Phillips and Pereira in the Javari Valley Indigenous territory, a remote area of the Amazon rainforest in Atalaia do Norte, Amazonas state. (AP Photo/Bruna Prado) - Sputnik International, 1920, 16.06.2022
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The duo were conducting research for a book looking at efforts to preserve the Amazon rainforest amid the dangers posed to it by illegal loggers, drug running gangs and other criminals.
One of the suspects arrested in connection to the alleged killing of British journalist Dom Phillips and Brazilian scholar Bruno Araújo Pereira has confessed to murdering them, Brazilian police has stated.
The pair vanished during one of their frequent trips into the Amazon rainforest on 5 June.
The suspect, whose name was revealed to be Amarildo da Costa de Oliveira, pointed police in the direction of the remote spot where he allegedly killed the two and buried their bodies. He later took authorities to the area for a forensic dig to be carried out, police said.
At the time of writing, local police can't confirm that the bodies of Pereira and Phillips have been found, but said that the excavations yielded human remains that will be identified by forensic labs in Brasilia. Until then, the pair is still considered missing presumed dead.
Law enforcement agencies did not disclose if da Costa de Oliveira had clarified any motive for his alleged murder of Pereira and Phillips.
Police further noted that new arrests could be made at any moment as they had apprehended a new suspect in connection with the case on 14 June. The law enforcement did not reveal the name of the second suspect, only saying that it was a 41-year-old man.
Phillips and Pereira were last seen at the western part of Amazonas state in the Javari Valley before disappearing without a trace. The two were conducting research into the efforts to conserve the local Amazon rainforest. Conservation efforts are believed to be impeded by the actions of illegal loggers, miners and numerous criminal organisations.
In this file photo taken on June 09, 2022 employees of the National Indigenous Foundation protest over missing British journalist Dom Phillips and Brazilian Indigenous affairs specialist Bruno Pereira, in Brasilia. - Sputnik International, 1920, 14.06.2022
Bolsonaro: UK Journo, Indigenous Expert Missing in Amazon Unlikely to Be Found Alive
Media reports claimed that both men had received death threats not long prior to their mysterious disappearance.
Phillips wife, Alessandra Sampaio, expressed relief over the news that the bodies of her husband and the researcher had potentially been found.
"This tragic outcome puts an end to the anguish of not knowing Dom and Bruno's whereabouts. Now we can bring them home and say goodbye with love," she said.
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