Mr. Phillips, who grew up in Bebington, Wirral, had traveled to a remote part of the rainforest in western Brazil with native specialist Bruno Pereira. The two men were on a reference trip for Mr. Phillips’ upcoming book, but had not seen him since Sunday, June 5th.
And now Brazilian media report that human remains were found a few days after police confirmed that clothes and personal belongings belonging to the men had been recovered during a search in the Javari area. Last week, LancsLive reported that Philips’s sister, Sian Phillips, 56, was still hoping her brother would be alive.
READ MORE:Mom takes drastic action as neighbor’s dogs “will not stop barking” But her partner, Paul Serwood, 60, later explained how Dom and Bruno had been attacked earlier in their journey. He said: “They met armed men in boats and were threatened at an earlier stage of their voyage. “I would say the situation has been very bleak in recent days,” he said, adding that Sian was understandably “very upset” and that Gareth’s brother, also 56, had now joined them in Lancaster. Local groups claimed that Mr Phillips and Mr Pereira had previously received threats to their work in support of indigenous peoples’ rights. According to the BBC, both men had been threatened for their work in the area, where there was illegal fishing, logging, mining and drug trafficking. A man, Amarildo da Costa de Oliveira, was arrested by authorities and was seen threatening the couple the day before they disappeared. Traces of blood found on Da Costa’s boat and what police said were “obviously human organic material” had been sent to forensics. Police took an extra 30 days to detain Da Costa as they continued their investigation, but his lawyer denied any role in the men ‘s disappearance. Mr. Phillips lived in Brazil for more than a decade, during which time he gained the reputation of a highly respected journalist with a deep knowledge of the region. He was also a longtime contributor to the Guardian. Paul said the experience was a “nightmare” for Dom’s wife, Alessandra Sampaio. He told LancsLive: “She finds it difficult – she was the person who called me on Monday to let me know what had happened and she was very worried at the time and it was just a nightmare for her.” He added: “He was trying to draw attention to the increasingly dangerous position of indigenous peoples and the threats they face. It is quite possible that he had become the target of many people. “The activities of many people were revealed.” Read more related articles Read more related articles
