The Sun rose at 6:35 AM, Sunset (local) at 5:23 PM, and Solar Noon was at 11:59 AM.
Authorities were notified of the scout's disappearance yesterday, at 5:15 PM. On the morning of June 10, 1985, one of Brazil's largest searches began:
OPERATION MARINS.
Hundreds of people searched for the boy, but in all accounts, we perceive serious problems in the search. Before proceeding to the description of each action, we will point out some issues so you can reread the events.
Problems identified in the searches:
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Police authorities, especially the military, searched for clues of a crime: a murder with concealment of a body. When only one line of investigation is followed, other possibilities are forgotten. Therefore, at the most crucial moment of the searches, other hypotheses were ignored.
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Military personnel participated in the search by walking in a line along existing trails. This fact was criticized by the woodsman Seu Afonso, according to reports [10].
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Police authorities ignored the possibility of crimes possibly committed by residents or third parties who were in the area that weekend. There are many reports of strange people being there; there are still reports of tents set up and vehicles parked. These other people were not investigated. All suspicion fell on chief Juan.
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There is no record of searches on private properties, nor inside houses.
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The repeated intrusions into the camp, where the tent was overturned and belongings and possessions were handled and stolen, were not thoroughly investigated.
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There is no scheme in the inquiry that allows us to say that the Marins Canyon and the water passages were completely covered.
But, after all, how were the searches conducted?
I find many of the criticisms against the search teams, whether against civilians or the military, to be disrespectful. It is very easy for outsiders to point out errors.
Every operation has its successes and failures, and one cannot measure a team's dedication by their success in locating the missing person. Many extraordinary search operations were unsuccessful, even though they strictly followed the protocols in place at the time of their execution.
Therefore, at this point, I will limit myself to transcribing what was told by those who were involved in the searches.
10:00 AM - approximate time.
Lieutenant Airton Ribeiro da Costa of the Military Police, from Lorena-SP, upon arriving at the camp, learned of the disappearance. In an interview, he stated he was surprised that the police were notified almost 30 hours later. (It wasn't 48 hours, but about 30 hours, which is already a very long time). The Lieutenant, now retired, becomes emotional, affirming that he fulfilled his duty [11].
Major Edmundo Zaboski will be in charge of the search.
Today was the first day of searches, but the operation would last for over a month.
We will discuss the searches in a new article soon.
