New CCTV footage reveals that Charlotte Peet stayed in the Rio de Janeiro’s Botafogo neighbourhood after leaving her previous hostel accommodation in Copacabana
The investigation into the disappearance of missing Brit journalist Charlotte Peet has taken a shock turn after police revealed she had briefly stayed at a second hostel in Rio de Janeiro before vanishing.
Charlotte, a 32-year-old British journalist, was reported missing by a friend on February 17, two days after she was last seen at a beachside bar in Leme. Authorities have now confirmed that she checked into a hostel in Rio de Janeiro’s Botafogo neighbourhood after leaving her previous accommodation in Copacabana.
CCTV footage shows Peet handing in her bed sheets at the hostel reception while carrying a black travel rucksack, a smaller black bag, and a blue plastic bag, while dressed in a white top. Additional clips show the 32-year-old lounging in a common area with other guests after arriving at the hostel.
She stayed at the hostel for a week before checking out on February 24, Brazilian news site Globo reports. The new information adds an all-new dimension to the missing persons case, with Charlotte’s previous location previously though to have been Morro da Babilonia, a hill in Rio de Janeiro’s Leme neighbourhood that separates Copacabana Beach from Botafogo.
Local investigators report that her UK phone number is still active, and is receiving calls and messages, but that her Brazilian number is set to reject incoming calls. Authorities believe her disappearance may be voluntary, though they are yet to establish direct contact with the journalist.
Charlotte, who as a freelance journalist has contributed to publications such as Al Jazeera and The Times, had not informed her family about her trip to Brazil. Her dad, Derek Peet, said it was not “normal” that she had gone abroad without first telling her loved ones, adding he suspected there was “something on her mind”.
He said: “I wouldn’t say it was normal; there was something on her mind, obviously, otherwise she would have told us.” The dad added that Charlotte’s family is “very concerned” about her wellbeing and ultimately confused as they are left “trying to pick up the pieces” after her disappearance.
The dad continued: “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.” Edmar Figueiredo, president of the Brazilian Press Association and an experienced journalist, said the association is concerned about the disappearance, adding Charlotte had worked as a journalist in Rio de Janeiro for “more than two years”.