Bodies found near area where tourists went missing
Mexican authorities said yesterday that three bodies were recovered in an area of Baja California near where two Australians and an American went missing last weekend during an apparent camping and surfing trip.
The state prosecutors office did not say whether the bodies were those of the three foreigners, but said the bodies were discovered during the search for the missing men.
It also announced that three people who were being questioned in the case of the missing men had been arrested and charged.
“Three bodies were found south of the city of Ensenada, and they were recovered in co-ordination with other authorities during a specialised operation because they were found in a zone of difficult access,” it said.
The site where the bodies were discovered near the township of Santo Tomas was close to the remote seaside area where the missing men’s tents and truck were found Thursday on a remote stretch of coast.
The men — identified by family members as brothers Jake and Callum Robinson from Australia and American Jack Carter Rhoad — went missing Saturday. They did not show up at their planned accommodations over the weekend.
Baja California prosecutors had said Friday they were questioning three people in the case.
Yesterday, the office said the trio had been arrested and charged with a crime equivalent to kidnapping.
It was unclear if they might face more charges.
Maria Elena Andrade Ramirez, the chief state prosecutor, said evidence found along with the abandoned tents was linked to the three people.
While drug cartels are active in the area, she said, “all lines of investigation are open at this time”.
On Wednesday, the missing Australians’ mother, Debra Robinson, posted on a local community Facebook page an appeal for help in finding her sons.
Robinson said Callum, who was diabetic, and Jake had not been heard from since April 27.