Brazilian photographer Flávio de Castro Sousa, 36, has been missing since November 26th. He disappeared during a trip to Paris, France, and Brazil.
Flávio lives in Belo Horizonte (MG) and was in France for a work trip. He arrived in Paris on November 1st and, after his professional commitments, he would stay there for vacation until the end of the month.
The native of Minas Gerais studied Fine Arts at the Guignard School, at the State University of Minas Gerais. He is a partner of Lucien Esteban in the company Toujours Fotografia, specialized in event coverage.
Lucien, in fact, was with Flávio in Paris last month, but returned to Brazil beforehand. THE CNNLucien stated that he expects commitment from the French authorities in the search for his partner. “Only with a police investigation will we be able, for example, to access street cameras. Because Paris has a lot of cameras, but, so far, no news.”
On his Instagram profile, the professional, who introduces himself as Flávio Carrilho, describes himself as a lover of analogue photography. Throughout November, the native of Minas Gerais posted several images of his trip to Paris, capturing tourist attractions such as Notre-Dame Cathedral, the Louvre Museum, the Pont des Arts and the Eiffel Tower.
In his last post, made the day before his disappearance, he appears with a camera in front of the Louvre Museum.
See his last post:
In stories, Flávio posted photos and videos from the time he was in France. He recorded moments alongside a French man named Alex, who, according to the Brazilian’s family, was the one who reported Flávio’s disappearance.
Alex made publications about the Brazilian’s disappearance. THE CNN contacted the boy, but he did not comment on the matter.
The disappearance
The last contact Flávio made with friends and family occurred on November 26th. On that date, he would take the flight back to Brazil. According to relatives, he checked in to a Latam flight, but did not board.
A CNN contacted Latam, but the company stated that it does not comment on passengers.
A day later, on November 27, Alex contacted a friend of the Brazilian via Instagram and said that he had had an accident and was hospitalized, but that he had been released from the health unit on the same day.
The family reports having been informed that, on the 26th, Flávio requested an extension of his stay in the apartment where he was staying for another day. He would have gone to the property and, since then, he has not responded to any more messages.
In a press release, the family adds that, according to Alex, all of the Brazilian’s belongings were removed from the apartment, including his passport.
People close to the Brazilian said they had contacted the local police, the Brazilian embassy in France and the Federal Police. Flávio’s relatives are asking for his name to be included on Interpol’s list of missing persons.
Wanted by CNNthe Ministry of Foreign Affairs says that the Consulate General of Brazil in Paris “is aware of the case, is in contact with local authorities and provides consular assistance to the national’s family”.
The Federal Police were also contacted, but have not yet responded.
Phone found in vase
Without news of her son, Flávio’s mother tried to call his cell phone insistently. In the early hours of the 28th, a stranger answered the phone. Because he didn’t speak Portuguese, this person passed his cell phone to a Brazilian who works in a restaurant in the French capital.
This Brazilian, identified as Denis, “talked to his mother and explained that they found the cell phone in a plant pot, around 7 am on November 27th, at the restaurant door”, says the note sent by the family.
