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Psychologist disappears after last seen near Essex boatyard
Police investigating the disappearance of Vitoria Figueiredo Barreto, a 30-year-old clinical psychologist from Brazil, suspect she may have taken a boat from a Brightlingsea boatyard in the early hours of 4 March 2026.
Timeline of events
Barreto, who had been in the UK since 2 February for a research project at the University of Essex, was last seen meeting a friend, Liliane Silva, in Colchester on 3 March. Later that day, she traveled by bus to the coastal town of Brightlingsea. Her family reported her missing the following day after failing to make contact.
CCTV footage from 00:16 on 4 March shows a person believed to be Barreto jumping a fence into a boatyard. Between 00:16 and 00:36, a boat was taken from its mooring in Brightlingsea. The vessel was later found adrift near Bradwell-on-Sea and returned to the boatyard.
Police investigation
Essex Police have not confirmed whether Barreto was the person who unmoored the boat, as there is no clear footage of the individual. However, they are treating it as a strong possibility.
Detective Superintendent Anna Granger stated that officers have conducted extensive searches across a significant area, including the River Blackwater, Dengie peninsula, River Crouch, and 2.5km of the southern coast of Mersea Island. Boat owners in Brightlingsea have been urged to check their vessels, and the public has been asked to share any CCTV footage of the harbor area.
Family concerns
Barreto's family and friends have expressed growing concern over her well-being. Silva, who had been hosting Barreto, described her as unusually quiet during their last meeting, a stark contrast to her usual talkative and cheerful demeanor.
"She was really quiet, which is not typical at all-she is [usually] really talkative, and happy and funny. She was clearly not well, and I could not identify why."
Liliane Silva, friend
Earlier in the investigation, police reported finding a white shoulder bag matching the description of Barreto's near Copperas Road, close to Brightlingsea's waterfront.
Background
Barreto, originally from Fortaleza, Brazil, had attended a conference in Morocco before arriving in the UK. She had been working on a research project at the University of Essex and had expressed interest in potentially becoming a student there.
