THE British journalist who has been missing in Brazil for over two weeks was reportedly seen boarding a bus before vanishing.
Cops have been searching for any clues over the disappearance of Charlotte Peet, 32, with them now scouring CCTV of the day of the bus journey to help unravel the mystery.
Brit Charlotte Peet went missing in Brazil on February 8[/caption]
Cops have struggled to find any trace of Charlotte ever since she vanished[/caption]
Police originally ruled out the possibility Charlotte boarded a bus and left Sao Paulo.
But officers have now reopened their lines of enquiry after Charlotte was seen in the city’s Tiete Bus Terminal, reports Brazilian news channel Jornal da Record.
They say cops believe if Charlotte did board the bus, which left from Santana district and was heading to Rio de Janerio, she would have been seen on CCTV.
The respected TV programme confirmed detectives are now analysing footage to try and reconstruct Charlotte’s movements.
Investigators have also confirmed that she purchased a ticket from Sao Paulo to Rio de Janeiro but never used it.
A conflicting report on local TV news site SBT News claims Charlotte didn’t board a bus and instead booked a taxi.
Adding to the puzzle is her phone activity in the days before and after her disappearance on February 8.
Charlotte’s phone was still active as of last Friday but all of her calls are going unanswered, Brazilian cops said.
Investigators made several calls to the Brit’s device on Monday but were unable to get hold of her.
This led authorities to expand the search, checking hospitals and morgues in both Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, so far without success.
It is unclear if officers are able to use GPS location data from the phone to help with their search.
Another area being looked into involves her final post online.
Just four days before her disappearance, Charlotte posted a message in a Facebook group.
The post saw her looking for a double room in London — suggesting she may have been considering returning home.
She wrote: “Hello. I’m looking for a double room in South West/East London: East Dulwich, Brixton, Herne Hill, Clapham, Balham, Streatham, Camberwell etc or would consider venturing east to the right place.
“I’m a 32-year-old journalist, friendly, respectful and organised. I love reading, keeping active and chatting to friends.
“Let me know if I sound like a good fit! Thanks!”
Peet, who has been working as a journalist in Brazil since 2020, briefly returned to London at the end of 2023 after her family expressed concerns about what they described as her “party life” in Brazil.
I’m very concerned but I just don’t know what’s going on, we’re just trying to pick up the pieces
Derek Peet
But she decided to return to the country in November.
Charlotte’s worried dad Derek Peet said he is “very concerned.”
He said that his daughter flew to Brazil where she had worked as a freelance journalist without telling her family.
Mr Peet said: “I wouldn’t say that it was normal, there was something on her mind obviously otherwise she would have let us know.”
“She was then traced to Gatwick Airport and was found to have boarded a plane to Sao Paulo and then the trail went cold.
“It’s very worrying but I don’t have any more to say. I’m very concerned but I just don’t know what’s going on, we’re just trying to pick up the pieces really.”
While police have not ruled out the possibility that Peet voluntarily cut contact with her loved ones, her family remains deeply concerned.
They have provided investigators with her bank account details, IMEI tracking information for her phone, and a copy of her passport in the hopes of finding her.
The Association of Foreign Press Correspondents in Brazil has issued a statement urging authorities to intensify their search.
Meanwhile, Peet’s family has created an email address to collect any information about her whereabouts.
Officers are now searching CCTV from a bus terminal in Sao Paulo[/caption]
