Police hunting for missing psychologist Vitoria Figueiredo Barreto, 30, have released new CCTV showing a woman believed to be her crossing a field and later near a Brightlingsea boatyard
Police investigating the eerie disappearance of a psychologist have released new disturbing CCTV footage. Vitoria Figueiredo Barreto, 30, was reported missing on March 4 and has not been in touch with her family since the previous day when she was at Essex University in Colchester.
Essex Police’s newly released CCTV shows a woman believed to be Barreto walking across a field and later near a Brightlingsea boatyard. The footage is believed to showcase the moment she travelled to the Essex seaside town on March 3 following a visit to a friend at the University of Essex in Colchester.
Detectives reportedly say Barreto took the number 87 bus from Wivenhoe to Brightlingsea after her visit.
Police reportedly believe she arrived in the Bellfield Avenue area at about 1.30pm on March 3 and was then captured on a doorbell camera in the Hurst Green area around an hour later. The newly released footage, filmed from a distance, appears to show a person officers believe to be Barreto.
Essex Police said the clip was recorded between Back Waterside Lane and Mill Street at 3.33pm, the Sun reported. Officers have also issued a further CCTV clip, which they say shows Barreto beyond what had previously been described as her last sighting.
She had earlier been reportedly seen jumping over a fence into a boatyard in Brightlingsea at 12.16am, but police now say footage shows her walking through an industrial site on the south side of Copperas Road, close to Brightlingsea Creek and the marina. The last confirmed sighting is now 12.22am on March 4.
Barreto was last seen wearing a dark coat, a blue turtleneck jumper, light blue jeans and black trainers. Police have also reportedly been examining discoveries made in the days after she went missing.
Barreto’s white shoulder bag was found near Copperas Road on March 9, and her laptop was located several days later on March 14. In a briefing on Tuesday (March 31), Essex Police had revealed that CCTV footage covering the harbour area displays a number of vessels on the water “as part of regular marine work patterns” between 12am and 6am on March 4.
The force further stated that there was no definitive footage to conclusively confirm it was Barreto who unmoored one of the boats. The boat did not seem to have had its engine started and drifted out before it was discovered in the water near Bradwell-on-Sea later that morning, police added, the Daily Star previously reported.
Last week, Essex Police have confirmed a laptop was discovered during the search for the missing psychologist. A spokesperson said at the time: “One of a number of lines of enquiry that we’re continuing to explore is whether Vitoria unmoored a boat from a Brightlingsea pontoon in the early hours of 4 March.
“Whilst this possibility was explored significantly in the days after her disappearance, our focus on this area of the town intensified after a bag owned by Vitoria was found close to Copperas Road on Monday 9 March. We know the boat was subsequently located on a drift in the water close to Bradwell-on-Sea.
“We have reason to believe it was missing a horseshoe-shaped buoyancy aid. Vitoria’s loved ones are also urging the Brazilian community in Essex to display Brazilian flags which they hope will attract Vitoria’s attention and create a safe and welcoming space for her.” Detective Superintendent Anna Granger added: “Sunday 15 March is of course Mother’s Day in the UK.
“I am a mum myself and I cannot even begin to imagine the pain Vitoria’s mother Gleyz has experienced since Vitoria’s disappearance. Every single officer, staff member and volunteer involved in this search would love nothing more than to reunite Vitoria with her mum – and we’re working around the clock to do that.
“We have seen first-hand the support from the community in Brightlingsea, and further afield, which has been offered to Vitoria’s loved ones. Equally, we know many people from the community have been involved in raising the profile of Vitoria’s disappearance and that has helped to ensure a significant number of people across Essex now recognise her face and her clothes and I would urge our whole community to please keep looking out for her and report any sightings or CCTV information to us as soon as possible.”
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