Bodies found in Mexico where Australian and US tourists disappeared, sources say

By Lizbeth Diaz

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) – Mexican authorities have located three bodies in the state of Baja California, where two Australians and an American were reported missing, according to two sources with knowledge of the investigation.

Australian brothers Callum, 33, and Jake Robinson, 30, and American Jack Carter Rhoad, 30, were last seen on April 27, according to the Baja California prosecutor’s office.

The three were on vacation surfing in the town of Ensenada, about an hour and a half south of the US-Mexico border.

The state Attorney General’s Office did not immediately respond to a request Friday for an update on the case.

State prosecutor Socorro Ibarra said Thursday that three people were being investigated in connection with the case, although it was unclear whether they were involved in the men’s disappearance.

Tents were found in the area where the missing men were last seen, Ibarra said, adding that they were formally declared missing days after their actual disappearance.

A burned white pickup truck was also found in the area, authorities said.

Baja California is one of the most violent states in Mexico, although tourist areas like Ensenada are considered safer. The U.S. State Department advises Americans to reconsider travel to the state due to crimes and kidnappings.

The US embassy in Mexico and the Australian Foreign Ministry in Canberra did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

(Reporting by Lizbeth Diaz; writing by Brendan O’Boyle; editing by Stephen Eisenhammer and Sandra Maler)