CCTV reveals last sighting of Brazilian academic, 30, who jumped fence before vanishing in UK seaside town

Vitoria Figueiredo Barreto, 30, has not been seen since the early hours of March 4, after meeting a friend at Essex University in Colchester.

Ms Barreto was reported missing the following day, but has not been in contact with loved ones since.

Essex Police have now released footage of the missing academic's last known footsteps, four weeks on from her disappearance.

Vitoria was last spotted wearing a dark coat, blue high-neck jumper, light blue jeans and black trainers on the day of her disappearance.

It comes after police discovered Vitoria’s white shoulder bag near Copperas Road, near Brightlingsea Creek, on March 9.

Vitoria's laptop was found days later on March 14, close to a location where an unmoored boat was discovered adrift.

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After meeting her friend on March 4, Ms Barreto, a psychologist, was seen to make a 30-minute journey aboard the 87 bus from Wivenhoe to the coastal town of Brightlingsea at around 1pm.

From there, video footage captures her stepping off the bus at Bellfield Avenue at 1.30pm, with newly-released CCTV doorbell footage showing her wandering across a field in Hurst Green at 2.30pm.

Further haunting footage, taken from a distance, shows what's believed to be Ms Barreto wandering between Back Waterside Lane and Mill Street at 3.33pm.

Footage then shows Vitoria walking through an industrial site hours later, located on the south side of Copperas Road, close to the Brightlingsea Creek.

Police now believe this to be the last known sighting of the academic, with Ms Barreto pictured jumping over a fence and into a boatyard in Brightlingsea at 12.16am on March 4.

Minutes later, footage captures what police believe to be the final confirmed sighting of the psychologist at 12.22am.

The days that followed saw a series of Vitoria's possessions discovered close to her last known location.

Police have since reported that a boat was found adrift in the water close to Bradwell-on-Sea on March 11, with suggestions that it had been unmoored near Copperas Road - where Victoria’s bag was discovered.

Police are still looking into whether the incident is connected to her disappearance.

Detective Superintendent Anna Granger said: “We’re continuing to work to close the timeframe between the last known sighting of Vitoria and the time which we know a boat was unmoored from a pontoon.

“Whilst we are not able to conclusively say that it was Vitoria who unmoored that boat, which was then found adrift at Bradwell-on-Sea, this new confirmed sighting brings her closer to that area and does strengthen the view that it was her," she continued.

“We’ve always based our searches on the basis that the person is Vitoria but we would dearly love to provide her loved ones with certainty – and we’re continuing to work to do that.

“We’re continuing to work with international partners to gain access to Vitoria’s communication and financial data which we hope could open up further lines of enquiry.

“All our requests have been made through the correct channels and we’re ready to receive that information as soon as possible.

“I would again appeal to anyone with information which could help us find Vitoria to please come forward. Did you see her walking in a field between Back Waterside Lane and Mill Street on the afternoon of March 3?

“Have you seen her since the early hours of March 4?