Major clue emerges in search for British journalist missing in Brazil

A British journalist who is missing in Brazil may be hundreds of miles away from her last known location, it has emerged. Charlotte Peet, 32, vanished more than two weeks ago after flying to the country – where she had worked as a foreign correspondent – without telling her family.

Her father previously said she ‘boarded a plane to Sao Paulo and then the trail went cold’. Her last known contact was on February 8, when she told a friend she was in Sao Paulo and was planning to go to Rio de Janeiro, asking about accommodation there.

Another friend, from Brazil, told Metro she did not believe Charlotte ‘got lost or did something dangerous’ because she knows both cities ‘very well’ and is fluent in Portuguese. Local police previously thought the 32-year-old remained in Sao Paulo and have been scouring hospitals in the area.

But they now reportedly believe she boarded a bus to Rio, which is more than 250 miles away by road. Sources told Brazilian broadcaster Jornal da Record she entered a bus at Tiete Bus Terminal, the city’s main hub for interstate coach travel. Authorities are now combing through CCTV footage to figure out where she went afterwards.

Previous reports suggested investigators found evidence of a bus ticket purchase by Charlotte but did not believe she used it. Mr Peet told Sky News last week of his daughter: ‘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.’.

Revealing she had left the UK without telling her family, he added: ‘I wouldn’t say that it was normal, there was something on her mind obviously otherwise she would have let us know.’. Brazilian police said Charlotte’s phone was still on as of last week but that calls were going unanswered.

They have not ruled out the possibility that she has deliberately cut herself off from outside contact, according to local news outlet SBT News. According to The Mirror, four days before flying Charlotte had posted in Facebook accommodation groups to say she was looking to rent a flat.

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.’.

Charlotte’s LinkedIn page suggests she worked as a freelance journalist for a number of years before taking up a job for data generation platform Mindrift in March. She reportedly returned to the UK in November. Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.

For more stories like this, check our news page. Arrow MORE: Urgent appeal to find missing mother and son, 8, in Leeds. Arrow MORE: Body found in search for 23-year-old Jenny Hall five days after she went missing. Arrow MORE: Heart-stopping moment woman saves dog falling from top-floor window of flats.