Three bodies have been found in a pit in Baja California, near the area where an American and two Australians went missing while camping and surfing. A fourth body was found nearby, but it's unclear if it's connected to the other three.
Three bodies have been found in a pit in Baja California, near the area where an American and two Australians went missing while camping and surfing. A fourth body was found nearby, but it's unclear if it's connected to the other three.
The bodies were found on Friday during a search for the missing men, who were last seen on April 27. The Baja California state prosecutor's office said in a statement that the bodies have not yet been identified, but forensic tests are being conducted.
The missing men are American Jack Carter Rhoad, 30, and Australian brothers Callum Robinson, 33, and Jake Robinson, 30. They were last seen at a campground in the San Quintin area of Baja California.
Their tents and burned-out Chevrolet Colorado pickup truck were found on Thursday on a remote stretch of coast.
The bodies were found in a rugged hillside area near the township of Santo Tomás, about 90 minutes south of the U.S.-Mexico border.
Rescuers installed ropes to enter the pit where the bodies were discovered. The site was cordoned off by police, while a navy boat was also visible in the sea nearby.
Baja California prosecutors said Friday that three people had been arrested and charged with a crime equivalent to kidnapping. It was unclear if they might face more charges.
Ensenada Mayor Carlos Ibarra Aguiar said in a news release that a 23-year-old woman had been detained with drugs and a cellphone that had a wallpaper photo of one of the missing men.
Officials didn't specify how the three people were connected to the investigation, saying only that some were directly involved and others indirectly.
Investigators said that a missing persons report was filed 48 hours after the men were last seen, although the prosecutor's office began investigating as soon as posts began circulating on social media.
María Elena Andrade Ramírez, the chief state prosecutor, said that while drug cartels are active in the area, she said, "all lines of investigation are open at this time. We cannot rule anything out until we find them."
The Baja California Attorney General's Office has said that it has maintained contact with the FBI and relatives of the victims, through consular agencies.
On Wednesday, the missing Australians' mother, Debra Robinson, posted on a local community Facebook page an appeal for help in finding her sons and noted that Callum is diabetic.
The Australian media reports that Jake is a doctor, while Callum lives in San Diego and is a member of Australia's national lacrosse team.
The State Department's travel advisory lists Baja California under its "reconsider travel" category due to crime and kidnapping.
In 2015, two Australian surfers, Adam Coleman and Dean Lucas, were killed in western Sinaloa state, across the Gulf of California — also known as the Sea of Cortez— from the Baja peninsula. Authorities say they were victims of highway bandits.
Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
