Relatives recognized the remains of two Australians and an American who were shot dead in a suspected robbery in Mexico on Sunday, bringing the search for the three surfers to a terrible end.
Officials in crime-hit Baja California state discovered three bodies with bullet wounds to their heads, indicating an execution-style slaying.
The discovery confirmed the darkest concerns of the families and friends of Callum and Jake Robinson, Australian brothers, and Jack Carter Rhoad, an American buddy, who were on a surf trip along Mexico’s Pacific coast.
At a press conference, state prosecutor Maria Elena Andrade stated that the three was thought to have been slain while attempting to steal their pickup truck.
The burned-out automobile was found nearby.
The state prosecutor’s office later stated that the bodies were officially identified as those of the missing surfers.
“The victims’ relatives were able to identify them without the need for genetic tests,” a statement said.
Australian Treasurer Jim Chalmers described the news as “horrendous” and said the “whole country’s heart goes out to all of their loved ones.
“It has been an absolutely horrendous, absolutely horrific ordeal and our thoughts are with all of them,” he said.
Mexico’s foreign minister, Alicia Barcena, issued a statement expressing her condolences, noting that her office “maintained a constant and direct dialogue with the Australian Ambassador to Mexico, Rachel Elizabeth Moseley, and her team, to support the efforts of the diplomatic mission.”
Mexican prosecutors have apprehended three individuals, two males and one woman, on suspicion of being involved in the case.
One of those apprehended has a history of violence, drug dealing, and robbery, officials added.
Investigators had stated that the bodies were retrieved from a cliff-top shaft in a “advanced state of decomposition.”
Another corpse discovered at the site had been there longer and was unrelated to the others, officials added.
On Friday, AFP photographers witnessed authorities using a pulley system to rescue the mud-covered bodies from the pit near the hamlet of Santo Thomas, about 30 miles (45 kilometers) southeast of Ensenada.
‘Tragic loss’
Debra Robinson, the Australian brothers’ mother, had posted an alert on a Facebook page for Baja California vacationers few days ago, after the young men became silent.
“I am reaching out to anyone who has seen my two sons. They haven’t contacted us since Saturday, April 27th,” she stated, attaching a poster from friends desperate for information on their location.
A missing notice on social media stated that Callum Robinson was 33 and his brother Jake was 30. It identified their companion as Jack Carter Rhoad, aged 30.
Andrade stated that the companions had previously visited Mexico without any concerns.
Callum Robinson’s Instagram feed featured multiple photographs from the trio’s Mexico trip, including them drinking beers with their feet up in a bar, relaxing in a jacuzzi, eating roadside tacos, and looking out at the surf.
Callum, who stands six feet four (1.93 meters), played in the US Premier Lacrosse League, which published a comment on its website stating that the lacrosse community was “heartbroken by the tragic loss” of the trio.
“We offer our hearts, support and prayers to the Robinson and Rhoad Families, as well as all who loved Callum, Jake and Jack,” it said.
Australian media said that Jake Robinson worked as a doctor in Perth.
Baja California is famed for its appealing beaches, and its resorts are popular with US tourists, thanks to its closeness to the border.
It is also one of Mexico’s most violent states due to organized crime organizations, while cartel violence rarely affects foreign visitors.
On Sunday, dozens of surfers protested in Ensenada, writing slogans on their boards that included “beaches, security, freedom, peace” and “no more deaths.”
The scenario is similar to that of two Australian surfers who were murdered and their remains burned while vacationing in the northern Mexican state of Sinaloa in November 2015.
Since the end of 2006, when the government initiated a contentious anti-drug strategy using the military, criminal violence in Mexico has killed 450,000 people and resulted in over 100,000 disappearances.