3 bodies found in Mexican well identified as Australian, American surfers killed for truck's tires

MEXICO CITY -- Relatives person identified 3 bodies recovered successful a good arsenic those of 2 Australian surfers and 1 American who went missing past weekend, Mexican authorities said Sunday.

Baja California authorities prosecutors said the relatives had viewed the corpses recovered from a distant good astir 50 feet (15 meters) heavy and recognized them arsenic their loved ones.

Thieves seemingly killed the three, who were connected a surfing travel to Mexico's Baja peninsula, to bargain their motortruck due to the fact that they wanted the tires. They past allegedly got escaped of the bodies by dumping them successful a good adjacent the coast.

The good was located immoderate 4 miles (6 kilometers) from wherever the foreigners were killed, and besides contained a 4th cadaver that had been determination overmuch longer.

Three suspects are being held successful transportation with the case, which locals said was solved acold much rapidly than the disappearances of thousands of Mexicans.

The 3 men were connected a camping and surfing travel on a agelong of seashore southbound of the metropolis of Ensenada, posting idyllic photos connected societal media of waves and isolated beaches, earlier they went missing past weekend.

Chief authorities authoritative María Elena Andrade Ramírez described what apt would person been moments of panic that ended the travel for brothers Jake and Callum Robinson from Australia and American Jack Carter Rhoad.

She theorized the killers drove by and saw the foreigners' pickup motortruck and tents and wanted to bargain their tires. But "when (the foreigners) came up and caught them, surely, they resisted."

She said that's erstwhile the killers would person changeable the tourists.

The thieves past allegedly went to what she called "a tract that is highly hard to get to" and allegedly dumped the bodies into a good they seemingly were acquainted with. She said investigators were not ruling retired the anticipation the aforesaid suspects besides dumped the first, earlier assemblage successful the good arsenic portion of erstwhile crimes.

"They whitethorn person been looking for trucks successful this area," Andrade Ramírez said.

The thieves allegedly covered the good with boards. "It was virtually astir intolerable to find it," Andrade Ramírez said, and it took 2 hours to winch the bodies retired of the well.

Australian Treasurer Jim Chalmers expressed sympathy for the Robinson family. "I deliberation the full country's bosom goes retired to each of their loved ones. It has been an perfectly horrendous, perfectly horrific ordeal and our thoughts are with each of them today," helium said astatine a quality league Monday successful the capital, Canberra.

The tract wherever the bodies were discovered adjacent the township of Santo Tomás was adjacent the distant seaside country wherever the missing men's tents and motortruck were recovered Thursday on the coast. From their past photograph posts, the travel looked perfect. But adjacent experienced section expatriates are questioning whether it is harmless to campy on the mostly deserted seashore anymore.

The moderator of the section Talk Baja net forum, who has lived successful the country for astir 2 decades, wrote successful an editorial Saturday that "the world is, the dangers of traveling to and camping successful distant areas are outweighing the benefits anymore."

But successful a way, escapade was cardinal to the victims' lifestyle.

Callum Robinson's Instagram relationship contained the pursuing slogan: "If you're not surviving connected the edge, you're taking up excessively overmuch room."

At the quality conference, Andrade Ramírez was questioned by 1 newsman who expressed support that specified a monolithic and accelerated hunt was mounted for the foreigners, but asked why, erstwhile section radical vanish successful the area, small is often done for weeks, months, oregon years.

"Do you person to beryllium a foreigner successful Baja California successful bid for determination to beryllium an probe if thing happens to you? asked the reporter, who did not place herself by name. "Every probe is different," Andrade Ramírez replied.

As if to underscore that point, dozens of mourners, surfers and demonstrators gathered successful a main plaza successful Ensenada, the nearest city, to dependable their choler and sadness astatine the deaths.

"Ensenada is simply a wide grave," work 1 placard carried by protesters. "Australia, we are with you," 1 antheral scrawled connected 1 of the half-dozen surf boards astatine the demonstration.

A pistillate held up a motion that work "They lone wanted to surf - we request harmless beaches."

Gabriela Acosta, a surfer, attended the protestation "to amusement love, solidarity and respect for the 3 lives that were lost." Acosta said that surfers successful Baja are alert of the dangers.

"We are women and we would sometimes similar to surf alone," Acosta said. "But we ne'er bash that, due to the fact that of the situation. We ever person to spell accompanied."

"I deliberation that what happened to them is conscionable an illustration of the deficiency of information successful this state," she said.

Surfers aboriginal performed a "paddle-out" ceremonial wherever they formed a ellipse connected their boards successful the ocean.

Baja California prosecutors had said they were questioning 3 radical successful the killings, 2 of them due to the fact that they were caught with methamphetamines. Prosecutors said the 2 were being held pending cause charges but proceed to beryllium suspects successful the killings.

A 3rd antheral was arrested connected charges of a transgression equivalent to kidnapping, but that was earlier the bodies were found. It was unclear if helium mightiness look much charges.

The 3rd fishy was believed to person straight participated successful the killings. In keeping with Mexican law, prosecutors identified him by his archetypal name, Jesús Gerardo, alias "el Kekas," a slang connection that means "quesadillas," oregon food tortillas. Andrade Ramírez said helium had a transgression record, and that much radical whitethorn person been involved.

Last week, the parent of the missing Australians, Debra Robinson, posted connected a section assemblage Facebook page, appealing for assistance successful uncovering her sons. Robinson said Callum and Jake had not been heard from since April 27. They had booked accommodation successful the metropolis of Rosarito, not acold from Ensenada.

Robinson said Callum was diabetic. She besides mentioned that the American who was with them was named Jack Carter Rhoad, but the U.S. Embassy successful Mexico City did not instantly corroborate that. The U.S. State Department said it was alert of reports of a U.S. national missing successful Baja, but gave nary further details.

In 2015, 2 Australian surfers, Adam Coleman and Dean Lucas, were killed successful occidental Sinaloa state, crossed the Gulf of California - besides known arsenic the Sea of Cortez - from the Baja peninsula. Authorities said they were victims of road bandits. Three suspects were arrested successful that case.