How ‘Trip Of A Lifetime’ To Mexico Turned Deadly For Travelers From US And Australia

Authorities have released more details about three travelers who went missing while on a surfing trip in Mexico. Australian brothers Jake Robinson, 30, and Callum Robinson, 33, and their American friend, Jack Carter Rhoad, 30, went missing during their surfing and camping trip near Ensenada, which the brothers' parents previously told CNN was meant to be “a trip of a lifetime."

They reportedly went to the Coachella music festival before heading to Mexico to surf. Authorities in Mexico have now identified three bodies dumped into a well as belonging to the three travelers.

The travelers were last seen on April 27, and based on the initial investigation, officials believe the three might've been killed during an attempted vehicle robbery on April 28 or 29.

During a press conference, chief state prosecutor María Elena Andrade Ramírez said that the people who killed the travelers were probably trying to steal tires and other parts from the travelers' pickup truck, the Associated Press reported.

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All three of the travelers were found with gunshot wounds. Though the killers reportedly attempted to destroy evidence, according to AP, police could tell something happened at that location when they arrived. The well that their bodies were found in was 4 miles from where they were killed, the BBC reported.

Prosecutor Andrade Ramírez also said during a press conference that the killers did not seem to target tourists specifically, based on evidence. Andrade Ramírez said that evidence suggests the killers did not know where the victims were from, the AP reported.

Three people have been arrested because of suspected connections to the attack, according to the BBC. One of the men who was arrested as a suspect had a criminal history of drug dealing, vehicle theft, and domestic violence, as per the AP.

Two of the suspects were also found with methamphetamines and one had one of the victims' cellphones, according to the AP.

Callum Robinson was based in California. His brother Jake Robinson, a doctor, traveled from Australia to California for "a trip of a lifetime," according to CNN. Their plan was to "to surf for a few days" after going to Coachella, their parents previously told the outlet.

Andrade Ramírez said that the families of the victims said the victims had traveled to the area before and didn't experience any issues, reported AP.

In a statement previously shared with CNN, Callum and Jake Robinson's parents called the brothers "beautiful human beings."

Callum Robinson's girlfriend, Emily Horwath, wrote on social media that her "heart is shattered into a million pieces," Australian outlet 9 News reported.

"I don’t have the words right now… I will love you forever," she wrote on Instagram.

Callum Robinson previously played lacrosse at Stevenson University. He graduated in 2015. In a statement from Brett Adams, director of athletics at the university, Callum Robinson was referred to as "a stellar student, a stellar athlete, and an even better friend."

Men's Lacrosse Coach Paul Cantabene said Callum Robinson was "everyone's best friend and got along with everyone."

"We are all so thankful that he was a part of our lives. He lived an extraordinary life, but what is most impressive about Callum is what a loyal friend he was. Once you were his friend, you were friends for life," the coach said in the statement.