A rescue worker descends into a waterhole where human remains were found near La Bocana Beach in Ensenada, Mexico, on 3 May, 2024. Photo: AFP/ Guillermo Arias
By Carrington Clarke in Ensenada, Mexico, and Brad Ryan
Mexican authorities have filed criminal charges against three people being questioned in connection with the disappearance of two Australian brothers and their American travel companion, who were reported missing in the country late last month.
The announcement came after authorities said three bodies had been found in the area where the three men went missing.
A local government official in Ensenada, in Mexico's north-west, told the ABC the bodies were found near a cliff on the Pacific coast on Friday morning, local time.
The Baja California attorney-general's office later confirmed they were found in the south of the Ensenada area by authorities searching for the missing men.
In a statement late Friday local time, the office said the bodies were recovered from a hard-to-reach location in a specialised operation, and a search for evidence was continuing at the site.
It said forensic examinations were still being carried out to identify the bodies.
Australian brothers Jake and Callum Robinson were on holiday in Mexico when they went missing late in April Photo: Supplied / Instagram
Jake and Callum Robinson, originally from Perth, and their American friend Jack Carter Rhoad have not been heard from since 27 April.
They were surfing and camping in Baja California, south of the US border, but had failed to show up at their accommodation in the city of Rosarito.
The car the three travellers had been using was found, burnt out, on a ranch in the area.
Authorities confirmed tents had also been found where the men were believed to be staying.
Rescue workers, forensics, and prosecutors working at the site where human remains were found near La Bocana Beach. Photo: AFP/ Guillermo Arias
The Baja California coast is a popular surfing destination but is also plagued by violent drug cartels. The state contains many smuggling routes used by the cartels to get to the US, but tourist spots such as the Ensenada area are generally considered safer than other parts.
Local authorities fear the men met with foul play. But Baja California's attorney-general, María Elena Andrade Ramírez, said they did not currently believe there was a link to organised crime.
Speaking through a translator, she told the ABC the disappearance of the men was an "atypical, exceptional case".
"We have a tourist influx and a similar case has not occurred," she said.
Three people - two brothers, and a 23-year-old woman romantically linked to one of them - were arrested earlier this week, and have now been charged with a crime equivalent to kidnapping.
It is unclear if they will face further charges.
The woman was allegedly found with a mobile phone belonging to one of the missing Australians, local police said.
All three of the people arrested allegedly had drugs on them when they were detained. A pick-up truck belonging to one of the arrested trio had been seized, Andrade Ramírez said.
"We have a substantial amount of evidence and are conducting a comprehensive investigation," Andrade Ramírez told the ABC on Friday, local time.
"However, we have not uncovered any clues that could indicate their survival."
Callum, 33, is a successful lacrosse player who has played with several American teams. Jake, 30, is a doctor, who had travelled to the US to visit his older brother.
Family and friends have been using social media to appeal for help finding the men. They said their lack of recent contact was out of character.
Their parents Debra and Martin Robinson said on Friday they were "heading to the US/Mexico to be as close as possible to the area where they were last seen".
"Callum and Jake are beautiful human beings," they said in a statement to media.
"We love them so much and this breaks our heart.
"Our only comfort right now is that they were together doing something they passionately loved."
- ABC