Bodies of missing American and Australian surfers found
SAN DIEGO (KSWB/KUSI) -- The bodies of three missing surfers, including one American and two brothers from Australia, have been found, according to Mexican authorities.
The Baja California Attorney General’s Office confirmed Friday morning that the bodies were located in La Bocana, about 130 miles south of San Diego.
Mexican officials said Thursday they had found evidence related to the case, including a white pickup truck, and that three Mexican nationals were under investigation.
The three surfers were reported missing through social media posts earlier this week. Baja California authorities officially announced their disappearance in a press release Thursday.
The surfers were a San Diego man named Jack Carter Rhoad and Australian brothers Jake and Callum Robinson, The San Diego Union-Tribune reported. The newspaper reported the three men didn't check into their Airbnb in Rosarito following a surfing trip south of Ensenada.
The attorney general's office has not confirmed the men's identities to Nexstar.
No further details about the circumstances leading up to the men's disappearance have been released. The attorney general’s office said it is too early in the investigation for an official cause of death.
Baja California Attorney General María Elena Andrade Ramírez said they lost valuable time in the search for the men because their families did not immediately report them missing. The last time the men’s families heard from them was Saturday, April 27, but they didn’t notify police until a few days ago, when the men didn’t show up at an Airbnb near K38 — another popular Baja surfing spot much closer to the border.
A woman and two men were taken into custody and considered persons of interest. The woman was found with a phone belonging to one of the Australian surfers, and also had a bag of drugs, the attorney general said Thursday.
The attorney general’s office, the FBI and U.S. and Australian consulate officials were all working in coordination with the case, according to Mexican officials.
Domenick Candelieri and Elizabeth Alvarez contributed to this report.