President Jair Bolsonaro said this Monday (13th) that “human entrails were found floating in the river” during searches conducted by journalist Dom Phillips and native Bruno Pereira. The claims were not confirmed by the Federal Police.

Bodies may have been seen floating around. The OF does not confirm the information, but conducts an analysis. – Photo: Vakinha.com/Disclosure/ND

“The search continues. Now the evidence leads us to believe that they did something wrong with them because human entrails have already been found floating in the river, which are already in Brazil to create DNA,” Bolsonaro told CBN Recife.

The federal police did not confirm the discovery of any corpses and confirmed in a statement that “biological materials” and personal belongings of the missing found in previous days were being analyzed, according to the AFP news agency.

“By the time, by the time we already have today, 8 days, moving on to the ninth day when this happened, it will be very difficult to find them alive. I pray to God for this to happen, but reports, testimonies lead to the opposite,” the president added.

The Vale do Zhavari Indigenous Union (Univaja), which is involved in the search, also denied finding the two bodies.

U2 performing

On their official Twitter profile, Irish band U2 also spoke out about the disappearance. In the publication, the musicians question the whereabouts of the duo.

We are waiting to find out what happened to these courageous men..
Adam pic.twitter.com/4OSGACUtYR

— U2 (@U2) June 13, 2022

The group then turned to family members for help. The quote reveals a website where donations can be made. By the time this report was published, over R$50,000 had been raised for the family.

“Dom, Bruno, Ale, Beatrice and their children need our help not only to pay their daily bills and new expenses that will arise due to this episode, but also to continue searching for their loved ones. Even the smallest donation is valuable in order to show that Dom and Bruno are not alone, they did not act in vain. We are one with them!” the website says.

The British journalist worked in Brazil for 15 years and was preparing a book on environmental protection. Photo: Joao Laet/AFP

remember the case

Phillips, 57, and Pereira, 41, were last seen on Sunday June 5 as they traveled through the Vale de Javari region in the far west of the Amazonas state, on the border with Peru and Colombia.

The journalist, author of dozens of articles about the Amazon, was preparing a book on environmental protection, and Pereira accompanied him as a guide to this remote region, where drug dealers, loggers and illegal fishermen operate.

The Specialist, who was formerly part of Funai and is an active protector of these communities, has received threats from criminal groups who usually invade protected lands to exploit their resources.

On Sunday, authorities recovered both men’s personal items, such as clothes, shoes, and Pereira’s medical records.

Earlier, Bishop Phillips’ family said they had been told two bodies had been found but were awaiting identification.

“We know they have found two bodies, but we are awaiting confirmation from the federal police whether they are indeed the bodies of Dom and Bruno,” the journalist’s niece Dominique Davies told AFP in London.

*According to the AFP agency.