Dom Phillips and indigenous expert Bruno Pereira were last seen on June 5 in western Brazil, close to the borders of Peru and Colombia.
In a remote region of the Amazon, divers searching for a missing British journalist and his colleague discovered a rucksack, laptop, and other personal things belonging to the couple.
The 57-year-old journalist Dom Phillips and the 41-year-old indigenous specialist Bruno Pereira were last seen on June 5 at the Javari Valley Indigenous Territory in western Brazil near the borders of Peru and Colombia.
The two guys were in the town of Sao Rafael and were to return to the nearby city of Atalaia do Norte by boat, but they never arrived.
Local volunteers, the army, civil defense authorities, and state police have been searching for them, and the police have initiated an investigation into their whereabouts.
As it was flood season in the region, the backpack was attached to a partially submerged tree. This and the laptop were recovered by authorities and transported to Atalaia do Norte by boat.
According to a police statement, clothing belonging to Mr. Pereira, as well as a health identity card in his name, a rucksack with clothes belonging to Mr. Phillips, and the boots of both males were discovered.
Amarildo da Costa de Oliveira, popularly known as Pelado, a fisherman who has been arrested and is the sole suspect so far, has been found to have blood traces in his boat.
Mr. da Costa de Oliveira allegedly drew a firearm on Mr. Phillips and Mr. Pereira the day before they vanished, as reported by natives who were with them.
His family has stated that he rejects any wrongdoing and claims that military police tortured him to obtain a confession.
Saturday, authorities reported discovering traces of blood in Mr. da Costa de Oliveira’s boat and human-origin organic waste in the river.
Both substances are undergoing forensic examination.
Mr. Pereira formerly managed the local bureau of the government’s indigenous agency, FUNAI, and has been implicated in several illicit fishing operations.
In the region where Mr. Phillips and Mr. Pereira went missing, violent battles between fishermen, poachers, and the authorities have occurred in the past.
There has also been violence as gangs compete for control of cocaine-shipping channels.
