Search for Briton missing in remote Brazilian wood
Tourist last seen walking barefoot out of commune towards dam where she intended to meditate
POLICE are searching for a British tourist who was last seen walking barefoot to a remote Brazilian beauty spot to meditate. Katherine Brewster, 27, from Brighton, had reportedly been staying with a family on the outskirts of a hippie commune in Alpestre, in the southern state of Santa Catarina.
She reportedly left the remote Dom José village early on Sunday to practise meditation at a nearby reservoir and never returned.
Residents of the Unipermacultura alternative community, based in the village and which is founded on the ideals of sustainable living, reportedly raised the alarm on Tuesday. “The rural community of Dom José is composed of quiet and peaceful families,” said Clairton da Silva, administrative coordinator at Unipermacultura.” Police began a search of the area on Wednesday using sniffer dogs, but claimed they were hampered by “rugged terrain”.
Miss Brewster reportedly left the commune barefoot and wearing light clothes and Bermuda shorts. She left her mobile phone behind but was carrying her passport and a credit card, according to investigators.
Villagers last saw her walking towards a wooded area towards the Foz do Chapecó dam, where she would often go to meditate, according to reports. Ercilio Carletti, the police chief who is leading the search, said: “The information we have is that she came to spend time with this community. On Sunday she left to go walking and didn’t come back.
“We’re in contact with the search team to help with sniffer dogs in case she is lost in the woods. She could also have left to go voluntarily to another place, because she took her documents.
“One of the hypotheses is that she went into the lake, which is very deep. The area there has many ravines, it’s very complicated.” Ms da Silva told Brazil’s Estado de São Paulo newspaper that Miss Brewster had never taken part in any projects and had no links with the group. The owner of the house where Miss Brewster was staying said it was not part of Unipermacultura, and that she had rented a room from them for the past 32 days.
Miss Brewster reportedly arrived at the Dom José community on Feb 20 after staying with friends in coastal city Florianópolis, southern Brazil.
Police said that the British Consulate in São Paulo had been informed, and had contacted her family in the UK.