[2][1] During his youth, Phillips shared his family's interest in music and outdoor activities, forming a series of bands with his brother and friends.

From 2014 to 2016 he contributed to The Washington Post, where he covered Brazil's preparations for the 2014 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 Summer Olympics.

[11] In June 2022, Phillips had been in the Vale do Javari region, researching for a book on sustainable development there.

He had received a fellowship from the Alicia Patterson Foundation to write the book, and aimed to finish it by the end of 2022.

In 2013, Phillips met Alessandra Sampaio at a party near his home in Santa Teresa, Rio de Janeiro.

[14] The Brazilian embassy in London released a statement that his body had been found on Monday, 13 June,[15] but retracted it the following day, apologizing to Phillips' family for "information that did not prove correct.

"[16] On 15 June, a second man named Amarildo da Costa da Oliveira, who was arrested days before in connection with the case, confessed to shooting and killing Phillips and Pereira and revealed the location of their bodies,[17] confirmed by the Federal Police.

[22][23] On 18 June, Federal Police confirmed that the second body encountered at the crime scene belonged to Pereira.

[24] Killings of Dom Phillips and indigenous peoples expert Bruno Araujo Pereira[25] were condemned by the Director-General of the UNESCO Audrey Azoulay in a press-release published on the 16 June 2022.