Bodies found in search for tourists who disappeared on Mexico surfing holiday
Police in Mexico have found three bodies after two Australian brothers and their American friend went missing while on a surfing holiday.
Callum, 33, and Jake Robinson, 30, originally from Perth, and their travelling companion Jack Carter Rhoad, 30, were last seen on April 27
They had been on a surfing holiday and were camping near the tourist town of Ensenada, in the state of Baja California, which lies just south of the Mexico-US border.
The remains, which have not yet been formally identified, were found in a waterhole near Bocana beach, 159 miles south of Ensenada, on Friday morning.
State prosecutor Socorro Ibarra said on Thursday that three people were being investigated in connection with the case.
Tents were found in the area where the missing men were last seen, said Mr Ibarra, adding that they were formally reported missing days after their actual disappearance.
A burnt white pickup truck similar to the one the men were driving was also found nearby, authorities said.
Baja California is one of Mexico’s most violent states, although the Ensenada area is considered safer.
It’s believed the group had planned to move on to Ensenada, but failed to check in to their Airbnb.
The last picture Callum posted on his Instagram page showed them at a beach in the area.
Jake had left Australia around two weeks previously to visit Callum, who was based in the US.
‘It was a trip of a lifetime to see his brother, before shortly taking up a new position at Geelong Hospital in Victoria (Australia),’ his parents said after they went missing, the MailOnline reports.
‘Callum and Jake are beautiful human beings. We love them so much and this breaks our heart.’
The brothers had visited Coachella music festival in the US before heading to Mexico to surf.
The US State Department advises Americans to reconsider travel to the Baja California due to crime and kidnapping.
Asked about the discovery of the bodies, a US State Department spokesperson said: ‘We are aware of those reports and are closely monitoring the situation.’
A spokesperson for Australia’s foreign ministry said their embassy in Mexico was working closely with Mexican authorities and the Australian Federal Police.
‘The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade recognises this is a very distressing time for the family and is in regular contact with them to provide support.’
Last year seven people were killed when a band of gunmen invaded a holiday resort in Mexican state of Guanajuato.
Three men and three women as well as a seven-year-old child were gunned down at the La Palma resort in the small town of Cortazar.
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