Relatives of the missing surfers officially identified the bodies on Sunday. It concerns the two Australian brothers Jake and Callum Robinson and their American friend Jack Carter Rhoad.
The three men went missing last weekend during a camping and surfing trip in Baja California, a Mexican coastal region bordering the United States. The area is known for its beautiful beaches, but violent criminal organizations are also active.
When the Australians did not show up at their previously booked Airbnb and the American did not show up for work, a search was started. Shortly before their disappearance, the trio had posted idyllic photos on social media of remote beaches along the coast south of the city of Ensenada. Their bodies were found in a pit 15 meters deep, along with a fourth body that had been there much longer.
Raid
The three may have been shot during a robbery, prosecutor Andrade Ramírez said at a news conference. The thieves are said to have targeted the surfing trio’s pickup truck. They probably resisted and it ended badly. “They all have a hole in their head, caused by a firearm,” the prosecutor said. She added that the trio had visited Mexico several times without any problems.
Their bodies were left in the pit which is “extremely difficult to reach”. The pickup truck was found burned out nearby. Ramírez said it did not rule out the possibility that the same suspects also dumped the first, older body in the well. According to the prosecutor, the thieves had covered the well with planks. “It was virtually impossible to find.”
In the days following the disappearance, local authorities arrested three people believed to be connected to the case. It concerns two men and a woman. One of those arrested is believed to have a history of violence, drug trafficking and theft, authorities said.
