Macabre surf trip
Police find three bodies that may be those of missing surfers in Baja California, Mexico.
Per Waves Editorial
05/04/2024
Three bodies were found south of Ensenada, Mexico, near the surf break where two San Diego men and a brother from Australia were last seen before disappearing under suspicious circumstances. An arrest warrant has been issued in connection with the case, Mexican authorities said Friday.
The bodies were discovered almost a week after the search for Callum Robinson, 33, an Australian living in San Diego; his visiting brother, Jake Robinson, 30; and his friend, Jack Carter Rhoad, 30, a U.S. citizen from San Diego.
Mexican authorities have not yet positively identified the deceased. They say the remains of more than a fourth person may also have been found.
The remains were found at the bottom of a well near Punta San José in Santo Tomás, near a picturesque and remote surf break known as Farol. It’s the same area where the Chevrolet pickup truck the trio was driving through Baja California was discovered on fire about a day earlier.
The bodies were found after a nearly 24-hour search at the site – a rural seaside property that includes a small brick house. The Mexican National Guard, the Mexican Army, the Baja California Attorney General’s office and the Ensenada Fire Department rescue team remained on scene until Friday evening.
The surfers planned to camp near the beach last weekend, then stay at an Airbnb in Rosarito, according to social media posts from friends and family. But they never checked into the Airbnb and Callum didn’t show up for work in San Diego as scheduled.
Baja California prosecutors on Friday issued an arrest warrant for a person on kidnapping charges.
Prosecutors have not identified the suspect but said Thursday that three people were under investigation in connection with the disappearances. That included a 23-year-old woman who was arrested with drugs and a cellphone that had a wallpaper photo of one of the missing men, according to Ensenada Mayor Carlos Ibarra Aguiar.
Mexican authorities have been working in coordination with the FBI in San Diego and the US Department of State, as well as US and Australian consulate officials.
In a statement Thursday, Baja California Governor Marina del Pilar Ávila promised a full investigation and said anyone responsible for a crime will be “punished to the fullest extent of the law.”
Baja California had one of the highest homicide rates in the country last year, with 2,417 people killed, according to the state secretary of Citizen Security. The deaths are largely attributed to drug violence as warring factions fight for control of the area. But violence affecting foreign tourists in the region has been rare. There were 595 homicides in the state until March this year.
read more
Friends disappear on trip
Source The San Diego Union Tribuneis
