Playas de Tijuana (Mexico) (AFP) – The FBI said on Friday that three bodies were found in Mexico’s Baja California state, where two Australians and an American went missing last week during a surfing trip in an area hit by cartel violence.
“We confirm there were three individuals found deceased in Santo Tomas, Baja California,” a statement from the FBI’s office in San Diego, California said without providing identities of the victims.
Australian brothers Jake and Callum Robinson and their American friend Jack Carter have not been seen since April 27. They were on vacation near the coastal city of Ensenada in the northwestern state of Baja California. But the brothers’ mother Debra Robinson said in a Facebook post that they never arrived at their planned accommodation.
Santo Tomas, where the FBI reported discovery of the three bodies, is about 30 miles (45 kilometers) southeast of Ensenada. Earlier in the day, navy personnel and officials from the state prosecutor’s office searched a cliff area in Ensenada, according to city hall.
Baja California state authorities said on Thursday that three Mexican nationals were being questioned in connection with the disappearances. “A white pickup vehicle was located, as well as other evidence,” the state prosecutor’s office said in a statement. The investigation was being coordinated with the US Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Australian and US consulates, it added.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has described the disappearances as “really concerning.” “We certainly hope that these brothers are found safely, but there is real concern about the fact that they’ve gone missing,” he told Australian television.
Baja California, known for its inviting beaches, is also one of Mexico’s most violent states thanks to organized crime groups. In November 2015, two other Australian surfers, Dean Lucas and Adam Coleman, were murdered and their bodies burned while traveling in the northwestern Mexican state of Sinaloa.
© 2024 AFP
