Police are actively searching for a missing Brazilian academic who disappeared from a university in the UK. Vitoria Figueiredo Barreto, aged 30, was reported missing on March 4 after her last contact with family the day before at Essex University in Colchester. Authorities suspect she may have taken a boat from a pontoon in a seaside town as new CCTV footage of the harbor has been obtained.
Barreto, a psychologist, took a bus from Wivenhoe to Brightlingsea on March 3 and potentially unmoored a boat later that day. Essex Police released an update stating that CCTV footage from the harbor area showed various vessels on the water between midnight and 6 am on March 4. Despite no clear footage confirming Barreto’s involvement with unmooring a boat, she was spotted walking alone near the waterfront at 12:16 am after climbing over a fence.
Detective Superintendent Anna Granger urged anyone working in Brightlingsea harbor between midnight and 6 am to come forward if they witnessed any suspicious behavior. Barreto was last seen wearing a dark coat, a blue turtleneck jumper, light blue jeans, and black trainers. Her laptop was found in Brightlingsea, and potential sightings are under investigation.
Although a significant search of the area has been conducted, the 30-year-old academic remains missing. Individuals with any information are encouraged to report sightings in the harbor area or contact the police citing incident 622 of March 4. Real-time sightings can be reported by calling 999.
