California family missing in Brazilian jungle found safe
SAO PAULO — A California couple and their two daughters who had been missing for days after pirates attacked their boat in the Amazon River delta area have been found alive.
Except for insect bites and scratches, Adam and Emily Harteau and their 3- and 7-year-old daughters were in good condition and will spend the night in a hospital in the small city of Breves, not far from where they were found, law enforcement officials in Brazil’s northern jungle state of Para said Wednesday.
The Harteaus were headed to Breves when gunmen boarded the boat they were on and forced it to go the city of Porto dos Dias, said Sergio Chene, a spokesman for Para’s Public Safety Department.
There crew and passengers were held hostage for several hours and stripped of their personal belongings before the pirates fled, Chene said. When police arrived there was no sign of the Harteaus.