According to local authorities, possible human remains were discovered during a search for a missing British journalist and his Brazilian friend.

Dom Phillips, a journalist, and Bruno Araujo Pereira, a Brazilian official, have vanished from a remote region of the Amazon rainforest, the Javari Valley. They were last seen early on Sunday, June 5, in the Sao Rafael town.

The police in Atalaia do Norte have questioned numerous fishers as witnesses and arrested one of them, Amarildo Da Costa, a local fisherman.

Blood found aboard Da Costa's boat, which authorities claim was one of the last individuals to see the two men, is also being examined to determine whether it is human or not.

A family member stated that "evidence of criminal involvement in the disappearances appears to be mounting."

Paul Sherwood, the boyfriend of Mr. Phillips' sister Sian, described as "shocking," claims that police discovered human remains while searching for Mr. Phillips and Brazilian indigenous affairs officer Bruno Araujo.

Mr. Sherwood, 60, told the PA news agency, "We can only base our assessment on the available evidence, which indicates that these people should not have vanished due to threats."

"They had good communications equipment and local knowledge, so their disappearance and continued failure to reappear strongly suggests that something sinister has occurred."

"And it is clear that there were threats and armed people in the area who issued those threats and may have been responsible for the attack, so we obviously hope that wasn't the case, but the evidence appears to be mounting that something along these lines has occurred."

Mr. Sherwood continued, in response to news that Brazilian authorities are analyzing human remains discovered in the Itaquai River near Atalaia do Norte's port, "I haven't seen those reports; I knew there had been some developments, but I've been away from my computer."

"It is shocking to receive proof if it turns out to be confirmation of what we already thought, namely that there was a criminal basis for what has occurred.

"I don't believe anyone has sent that to us yet, although we expect to hear from police in Brazil via the Brazilian embassy in the near future – I haven't received anything as of yet."

In a statement to the Associated Press, the Brazilian police stated that the "organic material" discovered in a river near the town of Atalaia do Norte would be sent for forensic study.

The High Commissioner for Human Rights of the United Nations asked Brazilian authorities to redouble their efforts to locate Phillips and Pereira.