The bodies of three men found in Baja California have been identified as tourists that went missing in Mexico during a surfing and camping trip.
According to Mexican officials, Jack Carter Rhoad, 30, from San Diego, California, and brothers Jake, 30, and Callum Robinson, 33, from Australia, were in a suspected vehicle robbery for their tires just over a week ago.
The group of tourists were found at the bottom of a 50-foot-deep water hole near the town of Santo Tomás, María Elena Andrade Ramírez, Baja California’s attorney general, told reporters Friday. She also said a fourth body was discovered in the water hole, though the person is likely not connected to the others’ deaths.
Ramírez said the three tourists were likely killed in a vehicle robbery gone amiss, suggesting they were shot in the head after they resisted perpetrators who wanted tires from their white pickup truck.
Relatives of Rhoad and the Robinson brothers identified their bodies without needing a genetics test, Baja prosecutors said in a statement to the Associated Press.
Last week, Jake and Callum’s mother, Debra Robinson, wrote on Facebook that her sons had not contacted the family since April 27, indicating the brothers and an “American citizen” were scheduled to arrive at an Airbnb in Rosarito, Mexico, after a camping trip, but did not arrive.
Three Mexican citizens have been arrested on the suspicion of kidnapping, as reported by Ramírez, who said one suspect was charged with forced disappearance, while the other two were charged with possession of methamphetamines.
The third suspect, Jesús Gerardo, alias “el Kekas,” a slang word that means “quesadillas,” was believed to have directly participated in the killings, said Ramírez.
According to the attorney general, investigators hadn’t ruled out whether local cartels were involved in the tourists’ deaths, and the FBI is involved in an ongoing investigation.
Last year, the State Department issued a travel advisory to Mexico, urging Americans to “reconsider travel” to Baja California because of crime and kidnapping. The department also warned of other violent crimes, including “widespread” carjacking and robbery.
