A British reporter, Charlotte Alice Peet, has been missing in Brazil for 11 days, and there are demands for stepped-up search operations, the Association of Foreign Press Correspondents (ACIE) in Rio de Janeiro said on Tuesday.
Peet, who is 32 years old, last heard from a friend on February 8, telling her that she was in São Paulo and arranging to go to Rio de Janeiro to look for a place to stay. Her friend told her that she couldn’t take her in, though. A few days later, Peet’s relatives back in the UK called the same friend, concerned after they lost touch with her.
On Monday, Peet’s friend reported her disappearance to Rio police. Because her last contact was in São Paulo, though, the case was passed on to authorities there. São Paulo’s public security department confirmed missing persons investigators and the Department of Homicide and Protection of the Person are working on the case.
Peet’s dad, Derek Peet, informed Sky News that his daughter traveled from London Gatwick to São Paulo without making her family aware, although she is not quite sure on the date of the trip. “It’s really concerning, but I don’t have a great deal more to say. We’re trying to get all of this sorted,” he added.
Portuguese-fluent Peet had recently lived in Brazil and worked as a freelance reporter for The Independent, The Times, The Telegraph, and Al Jazeera.
ACIE called on authorities to step up the search efforts to find her as quickly as possible. The British embassy in Brazil has verified that it is assisting Peet’s family and working with local authorities as the investigation unfolds.
