The families of the victims have identified the bodies, which had gunshot wounds. The Baja California Prosecutor’s Office believes that the assailants wanted to steal their vehicle, but ended up killing them.
Jack Road, Callum Robinson, and Jake Robinson were in Mexico for just one day before tragedy struck. The three young men crossed into Baja California from the United States on April 26, but within 36 hours they had disappeared. After eight long days, authorities found their bodies, and their families identified them. The grim discovery has sparked renewed concerns about violence in Mexico. The U.S. government issued new travel warnings for Mexico, while Australia expressed shock over the “absolutely horrendous experience.” Mexican Foreign Secretary Alicia Bárcena offered her condolences to the victims’ families.
“It begins…” was the caption Callum Robinson, 30, used on April 26 when he posted a photo of two vans with surfboards and waves in the background. Robinson lived in San Diego, where he played lacrosse. His brother Jake, also 30, had flown in from Australia, where he worked as a doctor. Both brothers hailed from Perth, Western Australia, and often shared photos of their travels on Instagram. The photo from Mexico was their last.
The Robinson brothers were traveling with Jack Road, another 30-year-old from the U.S. The trio shared snapshots of their vacation in Baja California on social media. They posted images from the popular surf spot KM 38 in Rosarito, showed off a puppy they were petting, and shared a beer in Ensenada. They also had photos from a jacuzzi and videos from a taco stand. Their last image, taken on April 27, showed the three young men enjoying coffee in front of the ocean at San Miguel beach. The sudden social media silence was the first red flag for their friends. The second came when the surfers didn’t show up at their planned accommodation near Rosarito. A missing person’s report was filed with the Baja California Prosecutor’s Office on April 30. The case didn’t attract media attention until a day later, when Callum and Jake’s mother, Debra Robinson, made a public plea for help. She posted in a popular Facebook group called Talk Baja, with over 120,000 members. The plea quickly went viral, and soon U.S. and Australian media picked up the story, highlighting the rising violence in Mexico. The international spotlight forced local authorities into action.
On May 2, about nine miles from Punta San José, another well-known surf spot in Baja California, authorities found the surfers’ camp on an off-road track in the community of Santo Tomás, Ensenada. The spot, called La Bocana, was described by the Prosecutor’s Office as an unpopulated area, far from the nearest town, without cell phone or internet service. This is where the young surfers camped, and where their burned tents were discovered. The site contained rods from tents, a firearm casing, some plastic bottles, bloodstains, and signs of heavy objects being dragged. The signs of violence raised serious concerns.
A day later, the fears were confirmed when the bodies of the surfers were found in a deep well, about 3.7 miles from their camp. The well was 15 meters deep and filled with water, making the discovery a challenging endeavor, described by the Prosecutor’s Office as akin to finding a needle in a haystack. The well had been hidden with wooden planks, adding to the difficulty. It took hours to extract the bodies, which were later identified by the families.
The preliminary hypothesis from the Prosecutor’s Office is that the incident started as a robbery and escalated into a murder. According to officials, the surfers had camped in the coastal area when the assailants, in a white Ford Ranger, stumbled upon their camp. The assailants likely intended to steal the victims’ Chevrolet Colorado truck, but when one of the young men resisted, they opened fire. The gunshots killed the three surfers, and the assailants tried to cover up the crime by dumping the bodies into the well.
Three suspects have been arrested in connection with the murders. The main suspect, Jesús Gerardo ‘N’, also known as El Kekas, has a criminal record and is accused of forced disappearance. His girlfriend and brother have also been arrested, with police investigating their roles in the murders. The girlfriend was found with one of the victim’s cell phones, and police located the firearm used in the shootings inside the white Ford Ranger. The victims’ Chevrolet Colorado was discovered torched about 37 miles from the crime scene.
The international response has been swift. Australian Treasurer Jim Chalmers called the news “frankly horrendous,” expressing sympathy for the victims’ families. Western Australia Premier Roger Cook shared the sentiment, noting the widespread grief back home. On social media, safety tips and camping site suggestions circulated in response to the tragedy. In Ensenada, about 500 people, mostly surfers, gathered to call for more security. The governor of Baja California, Marina del Pilar Ávila, attempted to reassure visitors, emphasizing that Baja California remains a safe tourist destination.
However, the case has also brought attention to the broader issue of disappearances in Mexico. While the Prosecutor’s Office located the bodies and made arrests within a week, more than 2,700 people remain missing in Baja California. During the investigation, authorities discovered a fourth body in the well, indicating a longer-standing problem. This case has served as a stark reminder of the ongoing violence and the disparities in response to disappearances across the region.
