MEXICO CITY — The mother of two Australian surfers killed in Mexico paid a moving tribute to her sons Tuesday on a San Diego beach.
“Our hearts are broken and the world has become a darker place for us,” Debra Robinson said, fighting back tears. “They were young people who enjoyed their passion for surfing together.”
Their sons, Callum and Jake, were allegedly murdered by car thieves in Baja California, just across the border from San Diego, around April 28 or 29.
Robinson also mourned the death of the American who died with them, Jack Carter Rhoad.
The beachside location where he spoke, just across the border from the Baja California city of Tijuana, was no coincidence. He noted that her son Callum “considered America her second home.”
Robinson noted that his son Jake loved surfing so much that, as a doctor, he liked working in hospitals near the beach.
“Jake’s passion was surfing and it was no coincidence that many of the hospitals he worked at were near surfing beaches,” he said.
Fighting back tears, Robinson delivered a final message that matched her children’s adventurous lifestyle.
“Live bigger, shine brighter and love more in his memory,” she said.
Robinson thanked Australian officials and supporters there and in the United States.
While he thanked the Mexican ambassador to Australia, he particularly did not thank the local officials in Baja California who ultimately found the bodies of his children and Carter Rhoad.
Their killers dumped the men’s bodies in a well about 4 miles (6 kilometers) away from where they had been attacked at a beachside camp. Investigators were surprised when, beneath the bodies of the three foreigners, a fourth body was found that had been there much longer, suggesting that the gang had been working in the area for some time.
The fact that these killers are not caught or detained in the overwhelming majority of cases in Mexico suggests that authorities allow killers to roam freely and only investigate such disappearances when they are high-profile cases involving foreigners.
Robinson said her children’s bodies, or their ashes, will eventually be returned to Australia.
“Now is the time to take them home, to family and friends,” he said. “And the ocean waits in Australia.”
Prosecutors have identified three people as possible suspects, two of whom were caught with methamphetamines. One of them, a woman, had one of the victims’ cell phones when she was caught. Prosecutors said the two were being held pending drug charges but remain suspects in the murders.
A third man was arrested on charges of a crime equivalent to kidnapping, but that was before the bodies were found. It was unclear when or if he might face more charges.
The third man is believed to have been directly involved in the murders. In accordance with Mexican law, prosecutors identified him by his given name, Jesús Gerardo, alias “el Kekas,” a slang word meaning quesadillas or cheese-filled tortillas.
Andrade Ramírez said he had a criminal record that included drug trafficking, vehicle theft and domestic violence, adding: “We are sure there were more people involved.”
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Tuesday he had requested the opportunity to speak with Robinson and her husband Martin.
“This is a terrible tragedy and my heart goes out to them,” Albanese told reporters in the city of Rockhampton, Queensland state.
In 2015, two Australian surfers, Adam Coleman and Dean Lucas, died in the western state of Sinaloa, across the Gulf of California, also known as the Sea of Cortez, from the Baja California peninsula. Authorities said they were victims of highway bandits. In that case three suspects were arrested.
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