Emma Kelty, 43, is said to have been robbed by a gang before being blasted twice with a shotgun and her body thrown in a river
A British headmistress has been murdered while kayaking alone in a remote and lawless part of the Brazilian rainforest.
Emma Kelty, 43, is said to have been robbed by a gang of men before being blasted twice with a sawn-off shotgun and her body thrown in a river.
Three suspects, including an 17-year-old boy, have been arrested for robbery and murder, and local police are hunting for six other men.
The thieves tried to sell her belongings, including a GoPro camera, two mobile phones and tablet computer. Her body has not yet been found.
Miss Kelty vanished last week as she attempted to kayak more than 4,000 miles from the source to the mouth of the Amazon.
There were fears she had been kidnapped by drug traffickers or gangs who harvest human organs.
But the arrested teenager is said to have told the Amazonas Civil Police that she was attacked as she pitched her tent on the banks of the Solimoes, as the upper stretches of the Amazon are known.
In a statement, he claimed the gang first took her possessions before killing her and dumping her in the river.
A 17-year-old boy has been arrested for robbery and murder, and local police are hunting for six other men. Pictured: Miss Kelty in her kayaking gear
Miss Kelty had left her job as a headmistress at a Surrey primary school to travel the world, and this year became the sixth woman to ski alone to the South Pole
Miss Kelty had left her job as a headmistress at a Surrey primary school to travel the world, and this year became the sixth woman to ski alone to the South Pole.
But she had dismissed warnings from those who urged her not to tackle the Amazon alone, particularly as she was new to kayaking.
The Bristol University graduate had been posting updates online and tracking her progress by GPS, but the messages stopped and the trail ended in the notorious drug-smuggling route between the small towns of Coari and Codajas.
In a chilling post written a few days before she disappeared, she said: ‘So in or near Coari (100km away) I will have my boat stolen and I will be killed too. Nice.’
Miss Kelty had left her job as a headmistress at a Surrey primary school to travel the world, and this year became the sixth woman to ski alone to the South Pole
The Bristol University graduate had been posting updates online and tracking her progress by GPS
But the messages stopped and the trail ended in the notorious drug-smuggling route between the small towns of Coari and Codajas
She had also spoken of coming across boats full of locals armed with machetes, guns and arrows, and had previously said the crocodiles, piranhas and snakes might well be the ‘least of my worries’.
Her last message was sent on Wednesday before she sent out a distress signal at 10pm.
The last message read: ‘Such a dramatic change in one day… but such is the river… every kilometre is different and just because one area is bad doesn’t mean next is.’
In a message written on September 10, she wrote: ‘So in or near Coari (100km away) I will have my boat stolen and I will be killed too. Nice’
Earlier in the day, she wrote: ‘Finished the day yesterday meeting three lovely locals and 2 kittens that slept next to my tent for the night (well until that played chase…’
And on Tuesday, she had tweeted: ‘Turned corner and found 50 guys in motor boats with arrows!!! My face mist hve been a picture!! (Town was uber quiet… too quiet!!) all go…’
Also on Tuesday, she had told her followers: ‘Am in the clear. All OK.’
Before her trip, she wrote on her blog: ‘I have had folks, friends and strangers telling me not to do it, it’s stupid, it’s too dangerous… it’s too risky and I will die.’
In a message written on September 10, she wrote: ‘So in or near Coari (100km away) I will have my boat stolen and I will be killed too. Nice.’
But despite her writing two days later that she was ‘in the clear’, Brazilian police have said she was in fact just about to enter the most dangerous part of the river.
A local blogger said: ‘Everybody is afraid of travelling through that stretch because of the pirate attacks.
A local blogger said: ‘Everybody is afraid of travelling through that stretch because of the pirate attacks’
She had also spoken of coming across boats full of locals armed with machetes, guns and arrows
And she had previously said the crocodiles, piranhas and snakes might well be the ‘least of my worries’
Her last message was sent on Wednesday before she sent out a distress signal at 10pm
Miss Kelty, originally from Somerset, had been told that her the Amazon challenge was ‘too ambitious’
The adventurer, who sold her north London flat ahead of the trek, started the journey in Ecuador’s capital of Quito in June
‘They are ruthless and bloodthirsty. It is crazy that this woman decided to row along the river on her own, even stopping to pitch her tent.’
‘No-one who knows this part of the river and the pirates would even think about doing that.’
Miss Kelty, originally from Somerset, had been told that her the Amazon challenge was ‘too ambitious’, but said: ‘That is thought without knowing me, my history, my drive or knowing what I will be doing between now and the time that I head down it.’
The adventurer, who sold her north London flat ahead of the trek, started the journey in Ecuador’s capital of Quito in June.
Police released photos of her abandoned kayak and belongings at the weekend and said clothing and cigarette butts found close by would be analysed
Miss Kelty, who was trained in sign language and taught deaf pupils, was appointed head of Knollmead Primary School in Tolworth, Surrey, in 2013
She had been sleeping in her tent and carrying all of her supplies with her.
Police released photos of her abandoned kayak and belongings at the weekend and said clothing and cigarette butts found close by would be analysed.
The scene of her disappearance was also where a local police chief vanished last year after a gunfight with drug traffickers.
Miss Kelty, who was trained in sign language and taught deaf pupils, was appointed head of Knollmead Primary School in Tolworth, Surrey, in 2013 after it was rated inadequate by Ofsted that year.
But after the school was rated outstanding by inspectors she left the position and later began travelling the world.
The Foreign Office said last night that it was supporting her family and was in contact with the Brazilian authorities.
Miss Kelty is photographed in her kayaking kit in Britain earlier this year before leaving for the trip
The scene of her disappearance was also where a local police chief vanished last year after a gunfight with drug traffickers
The Foreign Office said last night that it was supporting her family and was in contact with the Brazilian authorities
Miss Kelty this year became the sixth woman to ski alone to the South Pole