Brazil’s federal police said on Sunday it had found personal belongings and “biological traces” of veteran correspondent Dom Phillips and Brazilian researcher Bruno Arajo Pereira and they are now being analysed.
Phillips and Pereira went missing on June 5 while on a trip to the Javari Valley in the far western part of Amazonas state.
The missing pair were researching for a book project on conservation efforts in the area, which officials have described as “complex” and “dangerous” and known to harbor illegal miners, loggers and international drug dealers. Is.
He had reportedly received death threats a few days before his disappearance.
Bolsonaro said during an interview with CBN radio on Monday morning, “The evidence leads us to believe that some maltreatment was done to him, as human viscera has already been found floating in the river, which has already been tested for DNA.” is in Brasilia.”
Bolsonaro also said that the chances of Pereira and Phillips being found alive are slim.
“The evidence points to the opposite at this time,” he said.
According to officials, blood was found in the boat of a suspect in the couple’s disappearance last week.
At a news conference on Wednesday, Amazonas State Security Secretary General Carlos Alberto Mansour said the man was arrested after being found in possession of “a lot of drugs” and ammunition used for poaching.
Police have questioned five others in connection with the missing couple.
Officials also said on Wednesday that they were investigating a variety of things, including murder, and added that they still “can’t rule out anything.