The indigenous expert Bruno Araújo Pereira and Dom Phillips, a British journalist and correspondent for The Guardian, were on an expedition through the Javari Valley, west of the Amazon, with the aim of accompanying indigenous and riverine communities far from large urban centres, which have been the target of frequent attacks. The two were last seen in the São Rafael community at around 6pm on Sunday 5 June 2022, when they were talking to the wife of the community leader known as Churrasco. The two then headed to Atalaia do Norte, where they were to visit an Indigenous Surveillance team that works near the region called Lago do Jaburu. However, neither of them reached their final destination. Dom Phillips, who was living in Bahia, in addition to having undertaken other expeditions with Bruno, was also writing a book on the environment and, according to The Guardian "constantly went to the region to report on the crisis in the Brazilian environment, as well as the assassination of indigenous leaders". Bruno received constant threats from loggers, miners and fishermen. Two suspects have confessed to killing, dismembering and incinerating the bodies of Bruno e Dom. The crimes were linked to an international network that pays poor fishermen to illegally fish in the country's second-largest indigenous territory.