Police are currently in pursuit of a missing Brazilian academic who disappeared from a university in the UK. Vitoria Figueiredo Barreto, aged 30, was reported missing on March 4 after losing contact with her family the day before while at Essex University in Colchester. Authorities suspect that she might have left on a boat from a pontoon in a seaside town, supported by newly acquired CCTV footage of the harbor.
On March 3, the Brazilian psychologist took a 30-minute bus ride from Wivenhoe to Brightlingsea, a coastal town, where she potentially untied a boat several hours later. Essex Police recently disclosed that fresh CCTV footage from the harbor area captured multiple vessels on the water engaged in routine marine activities between midnight and 6 am on March 4.
Despite the absence of clear evidence linking Ms. Barreto to the boat’s unmooring, Essex Police confirmed her presence in the vicinity. The vessel, found later near Bradwell-on-Sea, had not been started, drifting out on its own accord. Detective Superintendent Anna Granger urged individuals who were at Brightlingsea harbor during the early hours of the morning on March 4 to come forward if they witnessed any suspicious or unusual activity, emphasizing the commitment to thoroughly investigate all leads.
Described as wearing a dark coat, blue turtleneck jumper, light blue jeans, and black trainers, the academic’s laptop was discovered in Brightlingsea. Despite extensive search efforts across land and coastline, the 30-year-old remains missing. Anyone with information related to the case is encouraged to report to the authorities or contact the police referencing incident 622 of March 4. Real-time sightings should be reported by dialing 999.