Denis Kopanev, a financial analyst from London, was last seen alive on on CCTV leaving his apartment in early June
The search for a British tourist who vanished in Brazil nearly four months ago has led to the discovery of a body.
The last time Denis Kopanev, 33, was last seen on CCTV leaving his rented apartment in early June shortly before the financial analyst from London vanished.
The Met Police alongside Brazilian authorities launched a major manhunt after he was reported missing, with his passport and belongings discovered untouched at his Airbnb.
Denis, who is Russian but holds British citizenship, had been staying in the Gávea neighbourhood of Brazil’s capital city Rio de Janeiro. Nearly four months after he vanished from the trendy city district, detectives have discovered a body in the Tijuca National Park on Tuesday following a painstaking 115-day search.
Rio’s Missing Persons Unit recovered the body from a densely wooded valley which was made all the more difficulty by the presence of many cliffs and streams in the area. His wallet, credit card and other belongings were also discovered at the scene.
The alarm was raised after Denis failed to turn up for a planned meeting at the Vista Chinesa lookout point on June 9. He was captured on CCTV on the night he disappeared wearing beige trousers, a white shirt, a dark baseball cap and a jacket.
He had intended to travel to São Paulo the following day to meet an American friend but he was never seen alive again. The two had planned to visit a volcanic archipelago about 215 miles off Brazil’s northeastern coast called Fernando de Noronha.
The alarm was raised after Denis’ close friend, Pedro Campos, informed authorities when Denis stopped sending him updates on his travels.
“He messaged me, very excited about things he had done during the Brazil trip and excited about all the things that he was going to do during the trip,” Pedro told reporters.
“He was going to Sao Paulo the next day and yeah, so when he disappeared it was kind of a shock because he seemed so excited about everything that was going to happen.”
Speaking after he was declared missing, Denis’ mother Olga said: “There are no words to describe the feelings of despair, anxiety, fear, concern – and hope – that parents feel at this moment in their life.
“Denis is a caring son with a kind soul. He likes travel, sports, music, reading and good jokes, like most of us.”
His best friend Benone Moura described Denis’s disappearance as “out of character.” He added: “He never travelled without letting loved ones know beforehand.”
