“Investigators found apparently human organic material in the river near Atalaia do Norte,” Brazilian federal police said in a statement. Dom Phillips and Bruno Pereira were ignored on Sunday morning, as they did not appear in the city of Atalaia do Norte at the end of a reference trip near the Brazilian border with Peru. Police also confirmed that blood was found on a boat belonging to Amarildo da Costa de Oliveira, a man arrested earlier this week in connection with his disappearance. Although police said they had no evidence linking Da Costa de Oliveira directly to a crime, or even whether the blood on the boat was human or animal, the announcement was a blow to hopes that the two men, who now ignored for more than five days, will be found alive. Police said the material was sent for testing and took DNA from Phillips’s home in El Salvador and from Pereira’s family in Recife. “The genetic material collected will be used in a comparative analysis with the blood found on the boat,” they added. Phillips, 57, has lived in Brazil for 15 years and was a longtime contributor to the Guardian, the Washington Post and other international publications. The Vale do Javari region is home to 26 indigenous tribes, many of whom have had little contact with foreigners. Pereira had previously been threatened for his work in the area, helping indigenous communities protect their traditional lands from invaders. Da Costa de Oliveira was arrested with weapons and ammunition and sources said he threatened Phillips, Pereira and a group of 13 natives on Saturday morning as they stopped in a community on the Itakuai River.
