It has been confirmed that a body found in the Amazon region of Brazil is former Mixmag editor, Dom Phillips. He was identified on dental records.
Phillips served as editor of Mixmag from 1993 -1997 during the peak of dance music culture. During his time as editor, he coined the term ‘progressive house’ and would go on to anticipate the rise of club culture and the superstar DJ. His work during this time was seminal in shaping dance culture and journalism on the scene. Since 2007, his journalistic focus shifted to Brazil, with Phillips reporting on the state of indigenous people in the country. Phillips had been in Brazil as part of research for a book when he was reported missing on June 5.
Writing for newspapers such as The Washington Post, The New York Times, The Guardian, and Financial Times, Phillips has been outspoken in his criticism of Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro as well as the displacement of indigenous people and deforestation in the Amazon due to illegal gold mining.
A second body discovered alongside Phillips is believed to be that of Bruno Araújo Pereira, an indigenous expert who was guiding Phillips’s research and was reported missing alongside Phillips on June 5. The pair were visiting the Javari valley in the remote western region of the Amazon, a known hotbed for criminal activity, logging, and mining. Pereira had reportedly received death threats in the past from loggers and miners in the area.
Data is still being processed to confirm the second body’s identity. Two suspects have been taken into custody. One of them, Amarildo da Costa, confessed to murdering Phillips and Pereira and dismembering their bodies. Investigations remain underway.
In a statement, the Phillips family said: “We are grateful to all those who have taken part in the search, especially the Indigenous groups who worked tirelessly to find evidence of the attack. We thank the many people who have joined us in urging the authorities to intensify the search and those who have reached out with words of comfort and sympathy.”
To assist the families of Dom Phillips and Bruno Pereira, a fundraiser has been set up which you can donate to here.
