Family members of three tourists who went missing in northern Mexico last month have identified their bodies, the state prosecutor's office in Baja California said in a statement.

Mexico City

Family members have confirmed the deaths of three tourists, two Australians and one American, who went missing last month in northern Mexico, according to a statement from the Baja California state prosecutor's office. The individuals were identified as U.S. tourist Carter Rode and Australian brothers Callum and Jake Robinson. Their bodies were discovered in a well on Saturday, with the case now being treated as a murder investigation by authorities.

The three tourists had vanished while on a surfing vacation near Ensenada, a popular tourist destination approximately 90 minutes south of the U.S.-Mexico border along the Pacific Coast. Authorities found evidence of violence against the tourists: each body had a gunshot wound to the head. Additionally, a burnt-out vehicle, believed to have been used by the trio, was located in the vicinity of the crime scene.

In connection to this tragic incident, officials have arrested three individuals. According to a preliminary hypothesis from the Mexican authorities, the suspects may have attempted to carjack the tourists. When the surfers resisted, they were shot, and their bodies were subsequently disposed of in a well. It's noted that Baja California, the state where the tourists went missing, is among the most violent in Mexico. Despite Ensenada being relatively safer, the U.S. State Department has issued a travel advisory, urging Americans to reconsider travel to the state due to concerns over crime and kidnapping.



Missing U.S., Australian tourists confirmed dead in Mexico

American and Australian tourists that went missing in Mexico are dead, according to authorities on Sunday, in a case they're treating as a murder investigation. Family members of U.S. tourist Carter Rode and Australian brothers Callum and Jake Robinson had been brought in and identified their remains. Their bodies were found in a well on Saturday. The three foreigners went missing while on vacation surfing near the popular tourist town of Ensenada, about an hour and a half south of the U.S.-Mexico border on the Pacific Coast. A source from the Attorney General's office told Reuters that all three bodies had a shot in the head. A burnt-out vehicle believed to have been used by the three surfers was also found in the area. Officials say three people have been arrested. A preliminary hypothesis by Mexican authorities is that the arrested individuals attempted to carjack the foreigners, and when the surfers resisted, they were shot and their bodies dumped in the well. Baja California is one of Mexico's most violent states. Although the Ensenada area is considered safer, the U.S. State Department advises Americans to reconsider travel to the state due to crime and kidnapping.

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