Three bodies—including that of a missing US citizen—that were discovered with gunshot wounds to the head and dumped in a well have been confirmed by Mexican police, CNN reported on Sunday.
According to a statement issued on Sunday by the Baja California Attorney General’s office, the bodies could be positively identified by the relatives of Australian brothers Jake and Callum Robinson and American Jack Carter Rhoad without the necessity for DNA testing.
The attorney general’s office announced that three Mexican citizens who had been questioned about the tourists’ disappearance had been taken into custody on suspicion of kidnapping after this terrible finding. One of these suspects was identified as Jesus Gerardo “N,” often referred to as “El Kekas,” according to CNN.
The trio of friends vanished on April 29 during a surfing and camping expedition near the town of Ensenada, situated approximately 60 miles south of Tijuana. Authorities suspect they were victims of homicide.
Baja California Attorney General Maria Elena Andrade Ramirez met with the victims’ parents on Sunday, reiterating the institution’s firm commitment to continue the investigation until those responsible are fully prosecuted.
According to investigators, preliminary investigations indicate that there may have been an attempt to rob a car of the surfers. Although there have been recent cases of cartel violence in Baja California, these incidents are not widespread in popular destinations like Ensenada.
About 40 miles from the site where the remains were found, at a ranch in Santo Tomas, was a charred white pickup truck similar to the one that Callum Robinson had shown on Instagram a week before they vanished, according to a local police source that CNN cited.
Mexico’s Foreign Ministry expressed condolences in a statement on Sunday, standing in solidarity with the families of the victims and mourning the tragic outcome of events.
“The Foreign Ministry stands in solidarity with the families of the victims in this tragic event and deeply regrets the outcome of the events,” the statement read.
While certain parts of Mexico continue to attract tourists, the country grapples with widespread violent crimes, including kidnapping and human trafficking, particularly in border regions. Mexico’s homicide rate remains one of the highest globally, with over 100,000 people still unaccounted for.
In a similar incident in 2015, the bodies of Australian surfers Dean Lucas and Adam Coleman were found in a burnt-out van in Sinaloa state. Authorities attributed their deaths to petty drug dealers involved in robbing motorists, as per CNN.