Missing surfers from Australia and the US shot dead and hidden in a waterhole in Mexico

The bodies of three surfers – two Australians and an American – who had been missing for a week have been found in Mexico. Local authorities suspect they were shot dead while attempting to steal their car.

Source: belga, the guardian

Today at 09:41

The three bodies found on Sunday in a beach resort on the Mexican coast are indeed those of three foreign surfers who had been missing for several days. The Public Prosecution Service of the northwestern state of Baja California reported this on Sunday. Relatives of the three surfers arrived on the scene to identify the bodies.

Australian brothers Jake (30) and Callum (33) Robinson and their American friend Jack Carter Rhoad (30) were on a surfing holiday together in the north of Baja California, a Mexican region bordering the United States. Callum and Jake lived in nearby San Diego, Jake had come over from Perth. When the three did not show up at their booked Airbnb last weekend, they were reported missing.

Investigators believe Jake, Callum and Jack were killed while attempting to steal their pickup truck. The vehicle was found burned out not far from where the bodies were found. They were lying in a fifteen meter deep well.

“The perpetrators drove by (the place where the tourists camped, ed.) in their vehicle,” Baja California prosecutor María Elena Andrade Ramírez said. “They approached the men because they wanted to steal their vehicle and use the tires and other parts for the older pickup truck they drove. When they attacked the men, they certainly offered resistance, after which the perpetrators pulled out a firearm and took their lives.”

Wake in the water

In the days following the disappearance, local authorities arrested three Mexicans. One of them has since been charged with kidnapping. The two others are being held for possession of the drug crystal meth, but Andrade Ramírez did not rule out that they too had something to do with the crime. “We are certain that several people took part in the attack.” At least one of the three arrested suspects is said to have participated.

Dozens of mourners, including many surfers, demonstrated in the nearby city of Ensenada. Slogans such as “Ensenada is a mass grave” and “Australia, our thoughts are with you” were written on surfboards. Dozens of surfers organized a vigil in the water on Sunday evening in San Miguel to honor the deceased surfers.