Police have reported a fresh sighting of a Brazilian academic who went missing from a university in the UK over three weeks ago. Vitoria Figueiredo Barreto, 30, was last seen at Essex University in Colchester on March 3. She took a bus from Wivenhoe to Brightlingsea that day. A woman resembling Barreto was spotted climbing over a fence by the waterfront around midnight.
Essex Police disclosed that they have identified a new sighting of Barreto through private CCTV footage in Brightlingsea. The footage captured her between Hurst Green and Mill Street on March 3. Authorities believe they have located the missing academic on land in that area.
The police are seeking access to Barreto’s banking and phone records to aid in the search efforts. Detective Superintendent Anna Granger mentioned that international cooperation with the Brazilian Embassy is ongoing. Physical searches are continuing, with CCTV footage showing a person in a field near Mill Street on March 3.
Investigators are asking for public assistance in narrowing down the CCTV gap and tracking Barreto’s movements on the day she disappeared. The police believe that she may have passed through the greenspace towards Copperas Road. Anyone with relevant information is urged to come forward to help in the search for Vitoria.
