Police are looking for missing Australian at Rio airport

Sunday, 29 of May 2016
By Bruna Corralo 

His sister and girlfriend asks for help to Brazilians

The Australian Rye Tahu Nui Arugi Duval Hunt, 25 years, disappeared on the 21st May, after arriving at the airport Tom Jobim in Rio de Janeiro.  His family is desperate and recruits the help of Brazilian and Rio that might have some clue of his whereabouts.

Rye lives in the Australian city of Kalgoorlie and is an electrician. He had left Australia on 7th April in the friend's company Mitchell Sheppard, 22. After passing through Thailand, Argentina and Brazil, they would follow to Bolivia.

One day before he disappeared, they had visited a slum in Rio and stayed very thrilled. According to his sister, Romany Bordribb, he and his friend were in a Copacabana hotel, but she does not know the name.

Romany said that he was at the airport with Mitchell, and after a discussion between them, Rye arranged to meet his friend again in 30 minutes, but he didn’t show up at the agreed place.

Since then, he didn’t access his social network; there was no movement record in the bank account, or contacted relatives or girlfriend, Bonnie Emeline Cuthert, with whom he had daily contact.

In a note to RIOgaleão, which manages the airport, said it is helping in case of investigations: "The RIOgaleão informs that collaborates and provides full support to the Civil Police in the case of Australian disappearance, Rye Hunt, last seen on the day May 21, at Tom Jobim International airport.

The concessionaire has identified the Australian on the images of security cameras and made available to the public agency in order to expedite the solution of the investigation. The airport modernization includes a new integrated security system with more a thousand surveillance cameras with completion by the Olympics.

Some of them have been installed on the sidewalks of the loading and unloading of both terminals, and helped to identify the taxi that took the foreign traveller. The information has already been sent to the police.”

The Australian Embassy and the Civil Police of Rio de Janeiro are already involved in the case. The delegate holder of the Bureau of whereabouts Discovery (DDPA) is responsible for investigations and confirmed that already try to locate the missing. The Australian Embassy in Brazil said it is aware of the case and that the family is receiving Rye "consular assistance".

His sister and girlfriend used their social networks to acknowledge the support it has received in Brazil and ask for donations to help locate the boy. "We still cannot find Rye. Our next step is to go to Brazil to assist in the search for our boy. We created a secure account, which we will gladly accept any donations”, published Bonnie on Friday.

Romany also published the picture of her brother asking help: “”My 25 year old brother is missing, last seen in Rio de Janeiro on 21/05/16. Please share this internationally, especially with any contacts in Brazil”.

The publication (https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10156947707375464&set=a.10150342905735464.581950.720360463&type=3&theater)

has already about 6,000 shares including the Brazilian community in Brisbane.