Charlotte Alice Peet: Full story of British journalist found in Brazil after four months missing

Independent

2 days ago

British journalist Charlotte Alice Peet was finally found on Monday following a four month search by Brazilian authorities.
Ms Peet, 32, who has worked for The Independent, went missing in February after she flew to Brazil in November. She had previously lived and worked in Brazil.
After her disappearance was flagged by friends and family, Brazilian authorities spent four months tracking her down before she was found in the major eastern city of Sao Paulo.
Ms Peet informed authorities that she had voluntarily disappeared, and did not want to contact her family.
Here is the full story of Charlotte Alice Peet's disappearance and how Brazilian authorities tracked her down.
Who is Charlotte Alice Peet?
Ms Peet had nine years of experience as a journalist including four years of reporting abroad. She worked for a host of British publications, including The Independent.
She worked as a freelance journalist in London after a stint as a foreign correspondent in Brazil, reporting for publications including Al Jazeera, The Times and the Evening Standard, according to her LinkedIn profile.
Ms Peet also described herself as fluent in Portuguese.
What happened when she went missing?
Ms Peet was declared missing in February ​​after being seen boarding a bus in Sao Paulo. The journalist, 32, is said to have told a friend she was planning to go to Rio de Janeiro on 8 February before she disappeared.
Days later, the family contacted her friend to say they had lost contact. Ms Peet had also not told her family that she had flown to Brazil back in November.
A missing person report was initially lodged at Rio de Janeiro's Tourist Attention Centre on 17 February before being passed on to Sao Paulo, where Ms Peet was supposed to have been before she disappeared.
Local authorities launched an investigation to find the reporter on 17 February.
How did the search play out?
The Rio de Janeiro Whereabouts Discovery Unit (DDPA) initially said they believed that Ms Peet stayed at a hostel in Copacabana.
Police believe she remained until 17 February, before moving to another hostel in Botafogo where she stayed until 24 February. On at least two occasions, she visited bars in Copacabana and Leme.
The Brazilian Foreign Press Association (ACIE) released a statement at the time, expressing their 'concern' for Ms Peet after she vanished.
The ACIE said that Ms Peet's family had provided information about her flight to Brazil as well as a passport photo to aid the investigation.
By tracking Ms Peet's cell phone, authorities collected information about her whereabouts. Local media reported that authorities had been able to access photos on her phone - but it is unclear how they did this.
These pictures included several selfies, shared publicly by police as they tried to track her down.
She was later found at a Sao Paulo hostel.
Upon finding her at the Sao Paulo hostel, police told the BBC on Monday that Ms Peet expressed her desire not to have contact with her family.
Police then dropped the case after earlier suspicions that she had voluntarily disappeared were confirmed.