THE phone of missing Brit journalist Charlotte Peet is still active but calls are going unanswered, Brazilian cops have said.
Investigators have also confirmed that while she purchased a ticket from São Paulo to Rio de Janeiro, she never used it, deepening the mystery surrounding her disappearance.
Charlotte Peet went missing in Brazil on February 8[/caption]
Cops say her mobile phone is still active but calls are going unanswered[/caption]
The 32-year-old, who reported from Brazil for major international outlets, was last heard from on February 8.
That day, she messaged a friend via WhatsApp saying she she was in São Paulo and looking for a place to stay in Rio.
The friend told her that her house was full, and the pair did not speak ever since.
The Special Tourist Assistance Unit in Rio de Janeiro confirmed that Charlotte’s phone remains on, but all calls go unanswered, Folha de Sao Paulo reports.
Investigators made several calls to the Brit’s device on Monday but were unable to get hold of her.
This led authorities to expand the search, checking hospitals and morgues in both São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, so far without success.
The case has now been transferred to São Paulo’s State Department of Homicide and Personal Protection (DHPP), as it was the last place she was known to be.
One of the biggest clues so far is that Peet bought a ticket from São Paulo to Rio but never used it.
Police are now investigating why she didn’t board and are working to track down security camera footage that could provide insights into her movements before she vanished.
Adding to the puzzle is her last activity on social media.
Her most recent Instagram post was in July 2024, while just four days before her disappearance, she posted in a Facebook group looking for a double room in London — suggesting she may have been considering returning home.
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!”
Peet, who has been working as a journalist in Brazil since 2020, briefly returned to London at the end of 2023 after her family expressed concerns about what they described as her “party life” in Brazil.
But she decided to return to the country in November.
Charlotte’s worried dad Derek Peet said he is “very concerned.”
He said that his daughter flew to Brazil where she had worked as a freelance journalist without telling her family.
Mr Peet said: “I wouldn’t say that it was normal, there was something on her mind obviously otherwise she would have let us know.”
“She was then traced to Gatwick Airport and was found to have boarded a plane to Sao Paulo and then the trail went cold.
“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.”
While police have not ruled out the possibility that Peet voluntarily cut contact with her loved ones, her family remains deeply concerned.
They have provided investigators with her bank account details, IMEI tracking information for her phone, and a copy of her passport in the hopes of finding her.
The Association of Foreign Press Correspondents in Brazil has issued a statement urging authorities to intensify their search.
Meanwhile, Peet’s family has created an email address to collect any information about her whereabouts.
Investigators said she also bought a ticket from São Paulo to Rio but never used it[/caption]
