Search for British journalist Charlotte Peet missing in Brazil for nearly two weeks

A British journalist living in Brazil has been missing in the South American country for nearly two weeks, according to an association of foreign correspondents.

Charlotte Peet, 32, last contacted a friend in Rio de Janeiro on February 8, according to a statement from the Association of Foreign Press Correspondents in Brazil (ACIE) on Tuesday.

Texting over WhatsApp, Peet asked the friend for a place to stay, saying she was in Sao Paulo and was planning to head to Rio, the statement said.

“The friend, unable to host her, later learned from Peet’s family that they had lost contact with her,” the statement continued.

ACIE’s statement says Peet’s disappearance was reported to Brazilian police on February 17.

After an initial review by the Tourist Assistance Police in Rio, the case was transferred to São Paulo’s homicide and personal protection division (DHPP), which handles missing persons cases, it added.

In an email statement to CNN, São Paulo’s public security secretariat said that the 5th Precinct of the DHPP’s Missing Persons Division is “taking steps to locate the missing woman and clarify the facts”.

“ACIE and its board of directors appeal to the competent authorities to intensify the search in order to find the British journalist as soon as possible,” ACIE added.

The UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) told CNN it is “supporting the family of a British woman who has been reported as missing in Brazil and are in contact with the local authorities”.

Peet lived in Brazil as a correspondent “more two years ago,” ACIE said.

After a brief return to the United Kingdom, she moved back to Brazil in November 2024.

Peet writes on her LinkedIn profile that she is fluent in Portuguese, and her online portfolio shows she has freelanced in Brazil for several publications over the course of her career.