Cops searching for missing Brazilian academic Vitoria Figueiredo Barreto, who vanished more than three weeks ago, said they have discovered new CCTV footage believed to be of the woman
Police have revealed a new sighting of a Brazilian academic who vanished from a UK university more than three weeks ago.
Vitoria Figueiredo Barreto, 30, was reported missing on March 4 and has not been in contact with loved ones since the day before, when she was at Essex University in Colchester. The Brazilian psychologist made a 30-minute bus journey from Wivenhoe to the coastal town of Brightlingsea on the afternoon of March 3. Police added that a woman, who they believe could be Barreto, was seen climbing over a fence and walking alone by the waterfront, at around 12.16am.
In the latest update on the missing academic, Essex Police said the force believes it has uncovered a new sighting Barreto after searching private CCTV. Cops said they expanded their CCTV search in Brightlingsea, in the hours between her being spotted in the Hurst Green area – around 2.35pm on March 3 and 12.16am on March 4.
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Essex Police said they now believed that have a sighting of the academic on land between Back Waterside Lane and Mill Street. Cops added that the CCTV spotted a person believed to be the missing woman at 3.33pm on March 3.
Police added that they are looking to get access to the missing woman’s banking and phone data, which could hold to key to finding her. Essex Police said it was working with international partners to find this information, but said they have not received this information yet.
Detective Superintendent Anna Granger: “We know this international work has the support of the Vitoria’s loved ones and the Brazilian Embassy. Vitoria’s banking and communications being registered outside of the UK does pose a challenge and we have sought to gain access to these through the correct channels as quickly as possible.
“Although our physical searches of land, coastline and water continue to be finalised, I hope it is clear that our work to find Vitoria has not stopped. We continue to receive reports of sightings, which are followed up with particular focus and Vitoria’s loved ones are being kept up to date with all our work.”
Granger, in a plea for information from the public, added: “Our CCTV work has rightly focused on capturing Vitoria around her last known location, in a boatyard area off Copperas Road. We’re working to narrow the CCTV gap from 12.16am on March 4 and the time at which we know a person unmoors a fishing boat from a pontoon, at about 12.36am.
“However, we now have CCTV which appears to show a person alone in a field between Back Waterside Lane and Mill Street at 3.33pm on March 3. We have always worked on the likely premise that Vitoria has made her way towards Copperas Road from Hurst Green through this greenspace. Although this footage is captured from a distance, we do believe it is likely to be her.
“This means it is quite possible that walkers in that area may have seen this person. Where you in the area the time and do you remember seeing this woman? It also means, as we have always suspected, that she is likely to have travelled to the greenspace either through Back Waterside Lane or through the residential area immediately to the south of Hurst Green. Can you help us build a better picture of her movements on the afternoon of Tuesday 3 March?”
