Bodies, pickup truck found in Mexican region where American and Australian tourists went missing, sources say
By Jose Alvarez, Sandi Sidhu, Fidel Gutierrez, David Shortell and Michael Rios, CNN
(CNN) — Three bodies were found Friday in the Mexican region where an American and two Australians have been missing for several days, multiple sources told CNN.
Authorities haven’t confirmed if the bodies correspond to the three missing tourists, a source said. But a local police source told CNN that authorities have found their pickup truck, burned out, about 40 miles (65 kilometers) from where the bodies were found.
The human remains were found on a cliff to the south of Ensenada municipality, Baja California, according to two security sources and a member of an activist group specialized in searching for missing people.
American Jack Carter Rhoad and Australian brothers Jake and Callum Robinson were reported missing on April 29, according to Reuters, citing the Baja California prosecutor’s office.
The three friends are believed to have been on a surfing and camping trip near Ensenada town, about 60 miles south of Tijuana.
Mexican officials previously said a vehicle, tents, and a cell phone had been found during searches of the area where the men were last seen. Three Mexican nationals were being questioned in connection with the case, though it is unclear if they are suspects.
One of the sources said the area where the bodies were found — about 50 miles south of Ensenada town — is difficult to access and that rappelling equipment will be used to recover the bodies.
The burned-out white pickup truck had been discovered at a ranch in Santo Tomas, a local police source told CNNE on Friday.
Despite the lack of identifiable markings, which were burned off, the vehicle was confirmed to be the same one Callum Robinson posted an image of on Instagram a week ago, according to police sources working on the investigation.
Around noon on Friday, a CNNE producer witnessed investigators removing the truck at the Santo Tomas ranch. Investigators took the car to a police station for further investigation, CNNE witnessed.
A US State Department spokesman told CNN it is aware of reports of the located bodies and is closely monitoring the situation, adding: “At this time we have no further comment.”
The family of Jake and Callum Robinson were on their way to Mexico, hoping to get “as close as possible to the area where they were last seen,” they said in a statement to Channel Nine News, a CNN affiliate.
The Robinsons said: “Callum and Jake are beautiful human beings. We love them so much, and this breaks our hearts.”
Channel Seven, also a CNN affiliate, reported that the siblings had attended the Coachella music festival a week before crossing into Mexico from San Diego, planning “to surf for a few days,” citing another statement from the family.
“Surfing is a passion they both share. Our only comfort right now is that they were together doing something they passionately love,” the parents said in a statement to Channel Seven.
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