Belongings of missing men found tied underwater in Amazon

Brazil’s search for an Indigenous expert and a journalist who disappeared in a restive area of the Amazon a week ago has advanced with the discovery of a backpack, laptop,

and other personal belongings of the men submerged in a river

ByFabiano Maisonnave Associated Press June 13, 2022, 5:17 AM Share

A Federal Police officer loads a truck with items found during a search for Indigenous expert Bruno Pereira and freelance British journalist Dom Phillips in Atalaia do Norte, Amazonas sta...Show more The Associated Press

ATALAIA DO NORTE, Brazil -- Brazil's search for an Indigenous expert and a journalist who disappeared in a restive area of the Amazon a week ago advanced with the discovery of a backpack, laptop, and other personal belongings of the men submerged in a river.

The items were found Sunday afternoon and were carried by Federal Police officers by boat to Atalaia do Norte, the closest city to the search. In a statement Sunday night, police said they had identified the items as the belongings of both missing men, including a health card and clothes of Bruno Pereira, the Brazilian Indigenous expert.

The backpack, which was identified as belonging to freelance journalist Dom Phillips of Britain, was found tied to a tree that was half-submerged, a firefighter told reporters in Atalaia do Norte. It is the end of the rainy season in the region and part of the forest is flooded.

The development came a day after police reported finding traces of blood in the boat of a fisherman who is under arrest as the only suspect in the disappearance. Officers also found organic matter of apparently human origin in the river. The materials are being analyzed.

Search teams that found the laptop and other items Sunday had concentrated their efforts around a spot in the Itaquai river where a tarp from the boat used by the missing men was found Saturday by volunteers from the Matis Indigenous group.