A BODY has been found during the search for a British tourist who vanished in Brazil nearly four months ago.
Denis Kopanev, 33, who works as a financial analyst in London, was last spotted on CCTV leaving the rental in early June.
Jam PressDenis Kopanev vanished during a trip to Brazil[/caption]
Jam PressThe 33-year-old had left all his belongings and passport at the holiday let[/caption]
Brazilian authorities launched a major investigation alongside the Met Police after he was reported missing, as his passport and belongings were left untouched at his Airbnb.
Denis, who is Russian with British citizenship, was staying at the trendy neighbourhood of Gávea in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil’s capital city.
Nearly four months after Denis went missing, Brazilian cops discovered a body in the Tijuca National Park on Tuesday after a gruelling 115-day search.
The body was recovered by Rio’s Missing Persons Unit in a densely wooded valley filled with cliffs and streams.
Officers also found his wallet, credit card and other belongings at the scene.
Denis had been missing since June 9 after failing to turn up for a planned meeting at the Vista Chinesa lookout point.
CCTV showed him wearing beige trousers, a white shirt, a dark baseball cap and a jacket on the night he vanished.
He was supposed to travel to São Paulo the following day to meet an American friend.
The pair had planned to visit Fernando de Noronha – a volcanic archipelago about 215 miles off Brazil’s northeastern coast.
A close friend, Pedro Campos, raised the alarm when Denis stopped updating him on his travels.
He said: “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.
“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.”
When the alarm was raised his 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 local MP Neil Coyle also appealed for help and said he “needs to be found urgently”.
He had booked a ride-hailing service that day but cancelled it, instead deciding to walk through the Tijuca Forest.
At the time of Denis’ disappearance, the Met police said: “Officers are supporting an investigation into the sudden disappearance of 33-year-old Denis Kopanev.
“Denis was last seen in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on Monday, 9 June at around 19:30hrs. He had travelled there from his home in Southwark, London.
“Brazilian police are leading the investigation, and are working closely with the Met, as well as the Foreign Office, Interpol and other international organisations.”
Benone Moura, his best friend, described Denis’s disappearance as “out of character.”
He said: “He never travelled without letting loved ones know beforehand.”
Benone, who last spoke to him on the Sunday before he went missing, added that Denis “loves Brazil” and visited often – his last trip just six months earlier.
Investigators said data from his ring showed he had been moving normally until his last recorded location – before the signal “abruptly stopped.”
Brazilian cops said: “The abrupt interruption in the data reinforces the hypothesis of a sudden event or external intervention, consistent with the fact that the individual has not been seen since then.”
Jam PressDenis’s pal raised the alarm when he didn’t show up for a meeting[/caption] Published: [#item_custom_pubDate]
