On June 5, British journalist Dom Phillips and his partner Bruno Pereira disappeared while at work in a depopulated area west of the Amazon.
Earlier this week, their bodies were found buried in the woods.
Now the forensic pathologist has concluded that the two were shot. Phillips was shot in the chest, while Pereira was shot in the head and upper body, writes the British TV channel Sky News.
The Javari Valley in the border area with Colombia and Peru, where the two were killed, has in recent years been marked by conflicts between indigenous peoples, fishermen, poachers and police.
Confirmed: Found dead
Three arrested – eight suspects
Three people have now been arrested and charged with either murder or complicity in murder. Two of them, who are brothers, have admitted to killing Phillips and Pereira.
One of the police theories is that the suspects were fishing illegally on the Itaquai River when they were photographed by Phillips and Pereira. Then they must have shot and killed them to remove the evidence.
sea view
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Another five people have the status of suspects, writes Brazilian Globo G1. Police believe they have helped hide the bodies.
– Examines all possibilities
Disappeared without a trace in the jungle
Sky News writes that the autopsy concluded that they were shot with “a weapon with normal hunting ammunition”.
In a statement, Phillips’ wife, Alessandra Sampaio, wrote that they could finally say “goodbye to love”.
– We also start our search for justice. I hope the investigators investigate all possibilities and come up with definitive answers to all relevant details as soon as possible, says Sampaio.
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