Human remains found in Amazon belong to missing British journalist

17 June 2022, 21:18 | Updated: 18 June 2022, 10:01

Police in Brazil have confirmed human remains found in the Amazon are those of missing British journalist Dom Phillips.

The identification was based on dental records, authorities said.

The second body, believed to be that of Mr Phillips' Brazilian companion Bruno Pereira, is still under forensic analysis.

Latin America minister Vicky Ford confirmed on Saturday the remains were those of Mr Phillips.

Writing on Twitter, she said: "I am very sad to hear confirmation Dom Phillips's body has been identified.

"My thoughts are with his family.

"I am grateful to everyone involved in the searches.

"We will continue to support Mr Phillips's family, and the Brazilian authorities as the investigations proceed."

Read more: Suspect admits killing Dom Phillips and Bruno Pereira in Amazon and leads police to bodies

Read more: Second arrest in search for missing British journalist in Amazon

Investigators are still working to establish a cause of death, the country's federal police said in their latest statement, and identification of Mr Pereira's body has not yet been confirmed.

On Saturday, Mr Phillips' sister said he had been on his final of several trips in the Amazon this year, where he was speaking to people working on projects including sustainable agro-forestry.

"I think he underplayed the risks to some extent," told the BBC.

"But we knew that there were risks.

"It was an area he had travelled in with Bruno before but of course things have changed since Bolsonaro has been in power.

"The rights of the indigenous people have been rolled back."

It comes after a suspect confessed to fatally shooting the pair earlier in the week.

Amarildo da Costa de Oliveira, 41, nicknamed Pelado, led officers to two bodies in the rainforest.

His brother, Oseney da Costa de Oliveira, was also arrested in connection with the killings, but denies any involvement.

Mr Phillips and Mr Pereira vanished on June 5 when they were working on a story about protecting the rainforest.

They were last seen on their boat in a river near the entrance of the Javari Valley Indigenous Territory, which borders Peru and Colombia.

The area has seen violent conflicts between fishermen, poachers and government agents.

Developments began moving on Wednesday when federal police officers took a suspect they did not identify at the time out on the river toward search parties looking for the missing men.

An Associated Press photographer in Atalaia do Norte, the city closest to the search zone, witnessed police taking the suspect, who was in a hood.

After the suspect's confession, Dom Phillips' family said they were "heartbroken".

"We are grateful to all those who have taken part in the search, especially the indigenous groups who worked tirelessly to find evidence of the attack," they said on Wednesday.

"We thank the many people who have joined us in urging the authorities to intensify the search and those who have reached out with words of comfort and sympathy," they added.

Mr Phillips' wife, Alessandra Sampaio, said in a separate statement that "we can now bring them home and say goodbye with love".

She added that the confession marked the beginning of a "quest for justice".