Dom Phillips: Bodies of British journalist and indigenous expert returned to families

The bodies of British journalist Dom Phillips and his travelling companion Bruno Pereira are back with their families in Brazil, according to reports.

Phillips, 57, and indigenous expert Pereira, 41, were shot while returning from an expedition in the Amazon rainforest.

A wake and cremation will be held for Phillips on Sunday in Neteroi, near Rio de Janeiro.

Alessandra Sampaio, Phillips’s widow, released a photograph of herself holding his wedding ring - the same item that police had found next to his body.

It comes as a fourth suspect Gabriel Dantas turned himself in at a police station in Sao Paulo on Thursday.

He told officers that he drove the boat that chased the two men, according to excerpts of his statement published by several Brazilian news outlets.

Dantas, 26, claimed he was asked by the first suspect arrested Amarildo Oliveira to drive without knowing where they were going or the reason for the trip.

On Monday, Federal Police said they had identified five other people who helped hide the bodies and three suspects were arrested.

Phillips, the author of dozens of articles on the Amazon and a long-time contributor to The Guardian newspaper, was travelling to the Javari Valley to conduct research for an upcoming book.

Pereira was serving as his guide, and had previously travelled with him in 2018 to the area, which is plagued by drug trafficking and illegal gold mining and fishing.