Brazil: Suspect Confessed to Killing, Dismembering Missing British Journalist Dom Phillips and Brazilian Indigenous Expert Bruno Pereira
One of the suspects arrested in Brazil regarding the case of missing British journalist Dom Phillips and Brazilian Indigenous expert Bruno Pereira has confessed to the crime.
New York Post reported that the suspect has admitted to killing and dismembering Phillips and Pereira as human remains were found on Wednesday in the Amazon area.
The Amazon area was the last location the two had disappeared on June 5. They were last seen passing through a remote part of the Amazon rainforest by boat.
Brazil's federal police arrested two suspects Amarildo da Costa de Oliveira and Oseney da Costa de Oliviera, concerning the two person's disappearance.
READ NEXT: Brazil: Pele Calls to 'Intensify' Search for Missing British Journalist, Brazilian Expert in Amazon
British Journalist and Brazilian Indigenous Expert Missing Case
Detective Eduardo Fontes noted that the suspect, Amarildoda, took investigators to a site where human remains were dug up, according to a BBC News report.
Police would work with Interpol to confirm the bodies' identities.
The suspects who were arrested were reportedly brothers. Law enforcement officials said they expect to carry out further arrests.
Federal police said in a statement that Oseney was the fisherman, whom they said was "suspected of participating in the affair."
Amarildo, also known as Pelado, was arrested last week in the riverside village of Sao Gabriel, where the two missing men were last seen on June 5.
Police seized some ammunition on Tuesday and an oar during a search in the village, according to a statement.
It did not detail why the items were confiscated, who they belonged to, or where they were found.
The suspects are being held at the police station in Atalaia do Norte, the nearest town, where the second suspect was arrested, according to an Aljazeera News report.
Indigenous people who were Pereira and Phillips said that Pelado brandished a rifle at them on the day before the two men disappeared.
The arrest of the second suspect came after ramping up the search, which was led by Indigenous people and Brazilian security forces.
British Journalist Dom Philips and Brazilian Indigenous Expert Bruno Pereira
Phillips had been living in Brazil for more than a decade and was known to be a long-time contributor to the Guardian newspaper. He was also working on a book about the Amazon.
The two missing men's belongings, including clothes and a laptop, were found on Sunday.
Indigenous groups noted that Pereira was threatened for campaigning against illegal fishing in the area.
Phillips' sister, Sian, earlier said that she thinks it is likely they have been ambushed by some illegal criminal activity there, adding that it would possibly do with illegal fishing.
The pair went missing in the Javari Valley as they were going by boat on the Itaquai River to Atalaia do Norte.
The valley is a remote jungle region home to 26 different Indigenous peoples, many of whom live in isolation.
Authorities noted that the region is "complex" due to the presence of rogue fishermen, miners, and loggers invading protected indigenous lands.
This article is owned by Latin Post.
Written by: Mary Webber
WATCH: Dom Phillips: Suspect reportedly confesses to killing British journalist and his guide in Brazil - The Telegraph