Current:Home > Contact3 bodies found in Mexican region where Australian, American surfers went missing, FBI says -VisionFunds
3 bodies found in Mexican region where Australian, American surfers went missing, FBI says
View
Date:2025-04-16 17:31:51
Three bodies have been found in a Mexican town near where three surfers — two Australians and an American — went missing last weekend, the FBI confirmed Friday evening.
In a statement to CBS News, the FBI said that three bodies were found in the town of Santa Tomas in the Mexican state of Baja California. The Baja California prosecutor's office told CBS News that the bodies have not yet been positively identified, which will be done by the state medical examiner.
"While we cannot comment on specifics to preserve the sanctity of the investigative and legal processes, along with protecting the privacy of those impacted, we can assure you that we are assessing every tip," the FBI's statement read. "If credible, we will pursue those leads with rigor. We are in contact with the family of the U.S. Citizen, and we are steadfast with our international law enforcement partners in finding answers."
On Saturday, María Elena Andrade Ramírez, the Baja California state attorney general, told Reuters in a statement that "all three bodies meet the characteristics to assume with a high degree of probability that they are the American Carter Rhoad as well as the Robinson brothers from Australia," said Baja California's state Attorney General Maria Elena Andrade."
Andrade Ramírez told Reuters that the three bodies were found in an advanced state of decomposition at the bottom of a well more than 50 feet deep.
Mexican authorities Thursday reported that they had found tents and questioned three people in the case. The Pacific coast state of Baja California is a popular tourist destination that is also plagued by cartel violence.
Australian brothers Jake and Callum Robinson and their American friend have not been seen since April 27, officials said.
Andrade Ramírez Thursday would not say whether the three people questioned were considered possible suspects or witnesses in the case. She said only that some were tied directly to the case, and others indirectly.
But Andrade Ramírez said evidence found along with the abandoned tents was somehow linked to the three. The three foreigners were believed to have been surfing and camping along the Baja coast near the coastal city of Ensenada, but did not show up at their planned accommodations over the weekend.
"A working team (of investigators) is at the site where they were last seen, where tents and other evidence was found that could be linked to these three people we have under investigation," Andrade Ramírez said. "There is a lot of important information that we can't make public."
"We do not know what condition they are in," she added. While drug cartels are active in the area, she said "all lines of investigation are open at this time. We cannot rule anything out until we find them."
On Wednesday, the missing Australians' mother, Debra Robinson, posted on a local community Facebook page an appeal for helping in finding her sons. Robinson said her son had not been heard from since Saturday, April 27. They had booked accommodations in the nearby city of Rosarito, Baja California.
Robinson said one of her sons, Callum, is diabetic. She also mentioned that the American who was with them was named Jack Carter Rhoad, but the U.S. Embassy in Mexico City did not immediately confirm that. The U.S. State Department said it was aware of reports a U.S. citizen missing in Baja, but gave no further details.
Andrade Ramírez said her office was in contact with Australian and U.S. officials. But she suggested that the time that had passed might make it harder to find them.
"Unfortunately, it wasn't until the last few days that they were reported missing. So, that meant that important hours or time was lost," she said.
The investigation was being coordinated with the FBI and the Australian and U.S. consulates, the prosecutor's office added.
In December, cartel leaders went on a killing rampage to hunt down corrupt police officers who stole a drug shipment in Tijuana, which is located in Baja California.
In 2015, two Australian surfers, Adam Coleman and Dean Lucas, were killed in western Sinaloa state, across the Gulf of California - also known as the Sea of Cortez- from the Baja peninsula. Authorities say they were victims of highway bandits. Three suspects were arrested in that case.
AFP contributed to this report.
- In:
- Drug Cartels
- Mexico
- Missing Persons
- Cartel
veryGood! (74)
Related
- Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow owns a $3 million Batmobile Tumbler
- Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, First Class
- Congress returns next week eyeing Ukraine aid, Baltimore bridge funds and Mayorkas impeachment
- More than 500 New Yorkers set to be considered as jurors in Trump's hush money trial
- $73.5M beach replenishment project starts in January at Jersey Shore
- Christine Quinn's Husband Christian Dumontet Files for Divorce Following His Arrests
- Judge dismisses lawsuit of injured Dakota Access pipeline protester
- Man found guilty but mentally ill in Indiana officer’s killing gets time served in officer’s death
- Appeals court scraps Nasdaq boardroom diversity rules in latest DEI setback
- March Madness: How to watch the women’s Final Four and what to watch for in the NCAA Tournament
Ranking
- The White House is cracking down on overdraft fees
- Can animals really predict earthquakes? Evidence is shaky, scientists say
- Beyoncé stuns in country chic on part II of W Magazine's first-ever digital cover
- March Madness: How to watch the women’s Final Four and what to watch for in the NCAA Tournament
- Bill Belichick's salary at North Carolina: School releases football coach's contract details
- Beyoncé stuns in country chic on part II of W Magazine's first-ever digital cover
- Black student group at private Missouri college rallies after report of students using racial slurs
- 'Game of Thrones' star Joseph Gatt files $40M lawsuit against Los Angeles officials for arrest
Recommendation
Scoot flight from Singapore to Wuhan turns back after 'technical issue' detected
Gray wolves hadn’t been seen in south Michigan since the 1900s. This winter, a local hunter shot one
Buy groceries at Walmart recently? You may be eligible for a class action settlement payment
$35M investment is coming to northwest Louisiana, bringing hundreds of jobs
Jamie Foxx reps say actor was hit in face by a glass at birthday dinner, needed stitches
Latest sign Tiger Woods is planning to play the Masters. He's on the interview schedule
Taiwan earthquake search and rescue efforts continue with dozens still listed missing and 10 confirmed dead
P&G recalls 8.2 million bags of Tide, Gain and other laundry detergents over packaging defect