Mystery of missing British journalist deepens after she vanished in Brazil, as police claim she is alive
27 February 2025, 07:30
A British journalist who went missing in Brazil earlier this month is alive, police have claimed, after her mysterious weeks-long disappearance.
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Charlotte Peet, 32, who worked as a freelance foreign correspondent, was reported missing in Sao Paulo after friends lost contact.
Police said this week that they had been tracking her phone - and found that she was in Rio de Janeiro.
Officers said that Ms Peet had "disappeared voluntarily" and simply did not want to have contact with friends or family.
Police added that she had been staying in hostels in the Rio de Janeiro area - adding that they had even been able to access selfies she had taken on her phone.
They said in a statement: "We have sent her photos, which show her getting off the bus in Rio, and in various places around Rio, to the Missing Persons Facial Recognition Programme."
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Ms Peet, who had worked in Brazil as a freelancer for two years, returned to the country in November without telling her family.
She was last heard from on February 8, having reached out to an American friend to ask for a place to stay in Rio de Janeiro. The friend told local media they were unable to help as their house was already full.
Ms Peet was reported missing on February 17.
President Edmar Figueiredo said at the time she went missing: "The Brazilian Foreign Press Association (ACIE) would like to publicly express its concern about the disappearance of 32-year-old British journalist Charlotte Alice Peet and show solidarity with her family and friends."
As a freelance journalist, she does reporting for foreign media, including Al Jazeera and British and Portuguese media outlets.
She describes herself online as being "fluent in Portuguese" with nine years of experience in the industry.
