Tragic End to Surfing Vacation: American Surfers and Australian Brothers Killed in Mexico
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American surfers and Australian brothers tragically met their demise during a surfing vacation in Mexico, likely slain when they refused to surrender their vehicle to a trio of car thieves, as per a report. The bodies of Jack Carter Rhoad, 30, and brothers Callum, 33, and Jake Robinson, 30, were discovered alongside their burnt white pickup truck nearly a week after they vanished from Baja California province. Authorities theorized that what began as an idyllic trip turned fatal when local thugs accosted the men while they were at a beach camp at the popular surfing spot known as La Bocana.
“When they tried to take the vehicle, the victims resisted the robbery; the thieves were armed with a firearm and apparently shot the victims,” said Baja California’s chief prosecutor, María Elena Andrade Ramírez, to Australia’s 7News. Disturbingly, the assailants didn’t even take the car they likely murdered the trio for—instead, opting to set it ablaze at the campsite. Police didn’t confirm how the men died but noted bullet casings were found at the camp. Three male bodies were discovered at the bottom of a well on a nearby farm, and the recovery took several hours to execute by firefighters.
Mexican authorities haven’t officially confirmed that three of the bodies are Rhoad, a Georgia resident, and the Robinson brothers, but they stated there was a “high likelihood” they were executed. Several sources confirmed their identities to Reuters this week, however. The fourth body was identified as the property owner who had been missing for two weeks, authorities said. Subsequently, police arrested Jesús Gerardo Garcia Cota, also known as El Kekas, his partner Ari Gisel García Cota, and Jesus’s brother, Cristian Alejandro Garcia, in connection with the men’s disappearance but haven’t charged them with murder. They were all found in possession of methamphetamine and other illegal drugs at the time of arrest, while Ari Gisel Garcia Cota, 23, was carrying one of the surfer’s phones when apprehended, according to local reports.
The Robinsons and Rhoad were last seen on April 27, enjoying the tropical weather of the coast, but were formally declared missing for several days when they failed to show up at an Airbnb they had rented farther south. Hours before their disappearance, Callum shared a series of social media posts about what appeared to be thrilling vacations along the Pacific coast. The men were spotted wearing wetsuits, drinking beers, and savoring local cuisine at Rosarito Beach, where they surfed and camped before moving 80 kilometers south to the port city of Ensenada.
A photo depicts the white pickup truck believed to be the same one found burnt at the abandoned campsite. Stevenson University in Baltimore issued a statement mourning the death of Callum Robinson, who graduated in 2015 and was a standout lacrosse player at the school and later played for the Premier Lacrosse League. Baja California is one of Mexico’s most violent states, though tourist areas like Ensenada are considered safer.
