‘They were terrified’: Brazilian nightclub owner recalls night before Rye Hunt went missing

THE owner of the Rio club where Australian backpacker Rye Hunt allegedly “freaked out” has shared his story - and texts.

The club where Australian backpacker Rye Hunt visited a day before he went missing.

THE owner of the Rio de Janeiro club visited by missing Australian man Rye Hunt a day before his disappearance has described the Tasmanian’s “terrified” state of mind.

It comes as information about the club reveals the party atmosphere the 25-year-old Tasmanian would have experienced at the time.

A Facebook video of the club, Raizes da Lapa, shows sweaty crowds bumping, grinding and twerking against each other and alchohol being poured into revellers’ mouths.

Owner Bruno Mouta told the ABC Mr Hunt and his travelling companion, Mitch Sheppard, stayed at the club until closing time and he had kept a watch on the pair because, “I could see they were like, high and they were not thinking straight, you know”.

“They were under effect of a kind of drug, I don’t know which one,” he said.

“So, they started to see things and they thought everyone there was staring at them, that everyone there wanted to kill them.

“They were really terrified, especially the one who is missing.”

Yesterday, Brazilian police spokeswoman Elen Souta alleged Mr Hunt had sniffed the drug MDMA in powder form before his disappearance and had a “psychotic episode”.

Ms Souta said Mr Hunt and Mr Sheppard took the drug MDMA at their hostel, then went to a party at Mr Mouta’s club in Lapa, located in the centre of Rio.

At the party, they sniffed more MDMA and mixed it with vodka, police say.

Mr Mouta, along with security guards from the club, walked the pair back to their hostel and stayed with the pair until Mr Sheppard was “feeling better”.

Overnight the nightclub shared this video, Bumbum Granada, on their Facebook page.

Mr Hunt went missing on May 21, after he argued with Mr Sheppard over their next travel destination.

After Mr Hunt went missing, Mr Sheppard contacted Mr Mouta asking if he had seen his friend.

The texts read:

May 21

Bruno: Hey mate. Hope yous (sic) get better tonight. Take care! See you. Bruno, owner of the disco you came.

Mitch: Thanks so much for everything Bruno your a legend! We will swing past some time tonight and give you and your security guards a tip!! Thanks so much again.

May 24

Mitch:Hey Bruno sorry to disturb you!! Just a quick question! Have you seen my friend Rye at all?? The bloke I was with the other night? He has been missing for 3 days now! Hasn’t turned his phone on or logged into Facebook at all! Really starting to worry, just thought I would ask the question??

Bruno: No I did not seen him ... since I left you guys at the hotel that night I didn’t see any of you. You told me that you were going to my disco again to give a tip to my security guards but you didn’t go but I didn’t know about your friend. If there is anything I can do to help, let me know. Good luck.

Mitch: Yeh I’m sorry my friend was freaking out and then he thought I was after him and trying to kill him! So then we seperated at the airport and I haven’t seen him since!! It’s okay Bruno thanks for everything, I guess I will just keep on looking.

Bruno: Wtf!!! Well, good luck anyway and let me know when you get some news.

Mitch: Thanks so much Bruno appreciate it.

Later ...

Bruno: Hi there mate. Any news about your friend?

Mitch: Nothing yet mate! They got footage of him leaving the airport in a taxi and then they found the apartment he checked into! And they found most of his belongings but not him.

Mr Mouta said despite rumours the pair were kicked out of the club, they weren’t stirring trouble and seemed out of their depth at the time.

“I remember they told me that they were not drug users, but as they were in Brazil, they were partying, and, you know, they tried [drugs],” he told the ABC.

“But they really looked like they were not drug users.”

Rye Hunt with Mitchell Sheppard in Brazil. Picture: SUPPLIED

TIMELINE OF MISSING BACKPACKER

Mr Hunt went missing on May 21 after he argued with Mr Sheppard over their next travel destination, Bolivia.

The travellers engaged in a verbal stoush over the pair’s travel plans and Mr Hunt’s paranoia, and were at Galeao International Airport to book a flight to Bolivia.

Mr Sheppard apparently then suggested the pair leave Brazil — a month ahead of schedule — and travel to Bolivia.

Apparently Mr Hunt accused his 22-year-old friend of stealing his passport and trying to kill him.

Mr Hunt went to “cool off” after the May 21 disagreement but vanished after footage revealed he hopped a taxi at the airport instead of meeting his mate to catch a flight to Bolivia.

It was 2:30pm local time in Rio.

The travelling duo had agreed to meet after half-an-hour, but in a strange twist Mr Hunt chose a new direction.

“They hadn’t booked a flight; they went to the airport with the intention of buying a ticket and looked online for flights,” Mr Hunt’s sister, Romany Brodribb, told news.com.au.

But when a fight erupted between the pair over the destination, Mr Hunt stormed off and was never to be seen again.

“They had a disagreement. My brother, as much as I love him to absolute bits, if he gets a bit grumpy about something he needs a little time to cool off sometimes,” Ms Brodribb said.

“I believe the disagreement had something to do with Bolivia and when they should be going and what they should do when they get there.

“He and Mitch had been travelling for seven weeks. It was the first disagreement they’d had in that time.”

Ms Brodribb suspects the long-time friends had the disagreement, Mr Hunt “got into a grump”, and Mr Sheppard suggested the pair “cool off” before meeting up in half an hour.

“I suspect that Rye probably was grumpy with Mitch and has left the airport and jumped,” Ms Brodribb said.

After his disagreement with Mr Sheppard, CCTV footage captured Mr Hunt checking into a Copacabana apartment.

Mr Hunt’s family confirmed he checked into the room an hour after leaving the airport, at approximately 2:30pm.

Almost three hours later, at 6:20pm, he left the apartment and hadn’t been seen since the latest reports.

The 25-year-old bought some beer, CCTV footage shows, before leaving his room wearing thongs.

Authorities scoured Mr Hunt’s Copacabana apartment and found his laptop, backpack, a camera and numerous other personal items.

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