Phillips, 57, and indigenous expert Bruno Pereira, 41, were killed on June 5 on their boat on the Itaquai River, near the entrance to the indigenous territory of the Javari Valley, which borders Peru and the Colombia. Three fishermen from nearby river communities were arrested. Two of them confessed to the murders, according to the police.

The area has seen a long conflict between native tribes and poor fishermen hired to invade the Javari Valley to catch arapaimas, turtles and game. Pereira, who was an official in Brazil’s office of indigenous affairs, fought these invasions for years and had received multiple threats for his work.

“He was killed because he tried to tell the world what was happening to the rainforest and its people,” Phillips’ sister Sian said. “Dom understood the need for an urgent change in political and economic approaches to conservation. His family and friends are determined to continue this work even in this time of tragedy. The story must be told.

Phillips wrote about Brazil for 15 years, first covering the oil industry for Platts, then freelancing for the Washington Post and New York Times, then contributing regularly to The Guardian. He was versatile, but turned to environmental reporting because it became his passion.

After living in Rio for several years, the couple had moved to the northeast city of Salvador, closer to Sampaio’s family, where Phillips taught English to students from poor communities. They were also in the process of adopting two children.

“While we remember Dom as a loving, fun and cool big brother,” Sian said, “we are sad that he was denied the chance to share those qualities as a father to the next generation. .”

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