The bodies of three surfers missing since April 29 were discovered on May 3 in Baja California. It’s about two Australian brothers and their American friend, who went on a road trip that ended in tragedy.
What must have been aroad trip » paradise turned into tragedy: on May 3, three bodies were found in a well near the municipality of Santo Tomás in Mexico. Two days later, Mexican authorities announced that the bodies had been identified. They are two Australians, Jake and Callum Robinson, and an American, Jack Carter Rhoad, three surfers last seen on April 27 in a seaside resort in the municipality of Ensenada.
How did the three surfboard enthusiasts get there? The Australian daily Herald Sun reveals the last moments of the three surfers.
The road trip of a lifetime
According to information from the Australian daily, the three surfers were doing a “road trip » in Baja California, a Mexican state south of the American border. It would be Callum Robinson, a professional player from “La Crosse”, who would have invited his brother Jake, a doctor living in Perth, and their American friend Jack Carter Rhoad on this journey. Their goal: to surf.
Callum meticulously documents the “road trip » on his Instagram account, posting stories which retrace all the moments of the trip, up to and including April 27, the fateful date.
Screenshot of Callum’s Instagram account
On April 26, Callum Robinson posted a photo on his story Instagram with description “And it begins” (“And it begins!”Editor’s note), where we see their vehicle, a white Chevrolet Colorado, in front of an idyllic landscape.
Surfers begin their “road trip” safely with their surfboards on the roof. They stopped at Rosarito Beach, at Robert’s K38 Surf Motel, 25 miles from the U.S. border. Callum also photographed the blue facade of the motel. The next day, the group arrives in Ensanada, 65 kilometers from their last destination. They post a few photos of them enjoying the swimming pool and local specialties, all smiles. They are a thousand miles from imagining what fate has in store for them.
Their last sign of life is a photo of them enjoying the view of the Playa San Miguel followed by a photo of the landscape. After that: no more sound, no more image. This Saturday, April 27, the surfers had their last contact with their families. On April 29, the three surfers went missing when they failed to show up at their pre-booked accommodation in Rosarito.
On May 3, their bodies were found in a well, 4 meters deep, reports the BBC.
A carjacking that turns into a tragedy
An investigation has been opened into the causes of the sudden death of the three surfers. Mexican authorities announced Sunday that they were shot in the head, reports The Guardian.
The investigators’ favorite lead is that the surfers were attacked by people wanting to steal their car. Trying to prevent carjacking, surfers would be shot at, the BBC reports. Then the attackers wanted to get rid of the bodies by throwing them in a well. Their vehicle was found burned near Santa Tomas, about sixty kilometers from where the bodies were found, reports CNN.
“I feel bad”
Regarding the trip of Callum, Jake and Jack Carter Rhoad, the Herald Sun reveals another scoop: the surf spot where they were killed was allegedly a recommendation from surf photographer Randy Dible.
Callum Robinson would have stopped by his gallery and sympathized with him. He would have asked him for spot recommendations and the photographer would have recommended Baja California. Dible would have even been ready to come with the surfers but had to cancel his trip at the last moment. “I feel bad”says the photographer Herald Sun.
He also wonders if Callum wouldn’t have asked him to come with him for security reasons. What would have happened if he hadn’t had to cancel his visit, he wonders? “Maybe I could have saved him. Who knows ?”
