Mexican authorities said Sunday that three men found dead from gunshot wounds to the head have been found dead in the Pacific coast state of Baja California, believed to be two Australians and an American.
The state’s attorney general, Maria Elena Andrade Ramirez, said the missing man’s family had arrived in Tijuana to verbally identify the body. Officials are expected to receive official confirmation soon.
Callum and Jake Robinson, both in their 30s, are Australian brothers from Perth. Jake was visiting Callum, who lives in San Diego, California, on a surfing vacation with his friend Jack Carter Lord, an American citizen who also lives in San Diego. The three were reported missing last weekend in Rosarito, Mexico, after they failed to check into pre-arranged accommodation.
The body was found dumped in a well about 15 meters deep, about 6 kilometers from the campsite where the foreigner was killed. If relatives cannot confirm the identity of the body, genetic testing will be conducted.
“It could very well be them,” Andrade Ramirez said.
The investigation’s preliminary theory is that the missing men were attacked by people trying to steal their cars, in part because they wanted tires.
“The attacker drove past.” [the travellers’ campsite] In their car,” Andrade Ramirez said. “They approached with the intention of stealing the car, taking the tires and other parts, and putting them in the old pickup truck they were driving.
“When I approached and was surprised, [the missing men]there was certainly resistance, and these people, the attackers, took out the guns they had and took their lives.
“When the supposed robbers got out of control, they tried to dispose of the body by throwing it into a well.
“They weren’t attacked because they were tourists; their purpose was to steal a car.”
The attackers reportedly burned tents and boarded up wells.
Journalists asked whether organized crime might have been involved, and whether the fact that all had died from shots in the head suggested some kind of execution. Andrade Ramirez declined to speculate, saying the carjacking theory is the one authorities have at this point.
“The investigation has just begun,” Andrade Ramirez said.
Three Mexican nationals were detained, one of them charged with kidnapping.
The other two men are being held on suspicion of possession of methamphetamine, but Andrade Ramirez did not rule out involvement in the crime.
“In fact, we believe that more people took part in the attack,” he said.
At least one of the suspects is believed to have been directly involved in the killing. In accordance with Mexican law, prosecutors identified him only by his first name, Jesús Gerardo, and his alias “El Quecas,” slang for quesadilla or cheese tortilla.
Dozens of mourners, surfers and demonstrators gathered in the main square of the nearest city, Ensenada, to voice their anger and grief over the deaths.
“Ensenada is a mass grave,” read a placard held by the demonstrators. “Australia, we are with you,” a man scrawled on one of the six surfboards taking part in the demonstration.
The woman held up a placard that read: “They just wanted to surf. We want safe beaches.”
The men had planned to go on a camping trip near the beach and then stay at an Airbnb in Rosarito, Mexico, according to social media posts from friends and family. But they never checked into the Airbnb, and Callum Robinson didn’t show up for his job in San Diego as scheduled.
On Thursday, the missing man’s tent and burnt-out truck were found on a remote shoreline.
The brothers’ parents, Martin and Debra Robinson, told Australian news outlets they were heading to Mexico to be nearby during the search.
“Callum and Jake are beautiful human beings. We love them so much and this breaks our hearts,” they said in a statement.
Four bodies were discovered Friday in a hidden well on an isolated ranch, 4 to 7 miles from where the missing man’s car was found.
Officials said three of the bodies had been at the scene five to seven days before they were discovered on Friday. A fourth body was also found in the well, and it is estimated that it had been there for 15 to 30 days.
Andrade Ramirez said authorities do not believe the attackers knew their victims were tourists, stressing that Baja California remains safe for tourists.
In 2023, there will be more than 30,000 murders in Mexico for the sixth year in a row. More than 100,000 people are missing.
In 2015, Western Australian surfers Adam Coleman and Dean Lucas were murdered, believed to have been shot dead by gang members in the neighboring region of Sinaloa, before their van and bodies were burned.
The Associated Press contributed to this report
