Coelho’s family had previously said they were holding out hope she was still alive. Speaking to the Herald from Brazil, her older brother Alexandre Coelho said the family were “in shock”.
“We are devastated,” he said.
Alexandre said he was particularly worried about his mother, who was struggling to eat and sleep as the family waited thousands of kilometres away for news.
The family learned Erika was missing about a week after her disappearance, when her best friend Bruna Rech contacted their mother, he said.
Alexandre described his sister as dedicated, truthful, authentic and deeply private.
Police and family remain concerned for the welfare of missing woman Erika Rodrigues Coelho.
The family was still hoping she could be sheltering somewhere, such as a hut, and would be found safe.
They had discussed travelling to New Zealand but were waiting for search developments before deciding what to do.
Rech, a dentist living in North Carolina, met Erika when they worked at the same hospital in Florianopolis, Brazil, in 2021.
They remained close despite the distance, speaking every few days.
Rech said her friend was passionate about sport, including running, cycling and hiking. She had completed a marathon and several half-marathons.
Erika Rodrigues Coelho running in Florianopolis, Brazil.
The friends last spoke on September 16.
“It was a normal, friendly conversation about our lives,” Rech said.
She said Erika had not mentioned plans to go hiking.
Rech messaged Erika again on September 19 but received no reply.
The following day, Erika’s partner contacted her saying he was concerned because she had not turned up for work and he had not seen her since Thursday, Rech said.
Rech began trying to contact her friend and said her messages were delivered but went unanswered.
Rech said Erika had confided in her before her disappearance that she had been feeling sad about personal matters.
In Queenstown, Erika’s next-door neighbour Jihane Sato also knew her through LSNZ, the English language school Erika attended for about a year after arriving in New Zealand in 2024.
Sato said Erika had come to New Zealand to improve her English and hoped eventually to have her medical qualifications recognised and return to her profession.
She was most recently working in retail and living in Shotover with her Kiwi partner.
She last saw Erika walking in their neighbourhood the week she disappeared.
Police were notified on September 20 and launched a search involving Land Search and Rescue volunteers, Coastguard Queenstown, drones, search dogs, a helicopter and ground teams.
Search and rescue teams have been looking for missing Queenstown woman Erika Rodrigues Coelho.
Erika’s rental Toyota RAV4 was found at Skippers Saddle near Coronet Peak on September 21.
Police were earlier seeking a man seen on the Mt Dewar summit track about 12.30pm on September 18 who may have information useful to the investigation.
The Brazilian Embassy in Wellington told the Herald it has been following the case from the beginning and was in contact with both Erika’s family and police in Queenstown.
Rafaella Melo is a multimedia journalist with more than 10 years’ experience in Brazil. She spent two years reporting for Hawke’s Bay Today before joining the NZ Herald’s Christchurch team in 2026.