The wife and mother-in-law of missing British journalist Dom Phillips have said that all hope of finding him alive has gone.
In a heartbreaking statement they paid tribute to the beloved husband and son-in-law, and to his travelling companion and friend Bruno Pereira.
Mr Phillips vanished along with experienced indigenous expert Mr Pereira on June 5, in a remote part of the western Amazon.
After days of searching by the army, navy, police and indigenous residents across the remote region little trace of the two men has been found.
Now, in a heartfelt statement, Mr Phillips’ mother-in-law has said she has lost all hope of ever seeing him return home. Mr Phillips’ wife reposted the statement and said she agreed with it.
In a post she wrote on Instagram, she said: “They are no longer with us. Mother nature has snatched them away with a grateful embrace.
“The material has been undone and incorporated into the earth they so loved and respected.
“Their souls have joined those of so many others who gave their lives in defence of the rainforest and Indigenous peoples.
“Today they form part of an immense and pulsating vital energy that emanates from this immense greenery that is the heart of Brazil.”
The two men vanished when they were out on a reporting trip as a part of a trip that Mr Phillips undertook for a book he was working on.
Pereira was a regular guide and friend and they would interview indigenous people during the expedition.
They were first reported missing when their boat failed to appear the scheduled return point in the town of Atalaia do Norte.
One man, Amarildo da Costa de Oliveira, has been arrested by authorities and was seen threatening the pair a day before they went missing.
Traces of blood found on Da Costa’s boat and what police said was “apparently human organic material” had been sent to forensics.
Police were granted an extra 30 days to keep Da Costa detained as they continue their investigation. However, his lawyer denies he had any role in the men’s disappearance.
But there was a brief moment of hope after reports emerged that the human remains the authorities discovered in the river were said not to have belonged to the pair.
Two top cops have suggested that the human remains recently found are not linked to the case.
A federal police officer and a state detective told Reuters that the location and condition of the macabre discovery has cast doubts over the original conclusions.
The “apparently human” remains were found near the port of Atalaia do Norte, a town over 40 miles from where Mr Philips and Mr Peteira were last seen.
The two investigators also hinted that the remains could in fact be scraps from a local butcher, instead of human.
Mr Pereira had received threats before for his work in the region against illegal fishing and mining.
