- author, james gregory
- role, bbc news
-
The bodies of three tourists found in a well in northwestern Mexico all had gunshot wounds to the head, authorities said.
Australian brothers Jake and Callum Robinson, 30 and 33, and their American friend Jack Carter Lord, 30, went missing on April 27 during a surfing trip in Ensenada. .
State prosecutors said the three bodies were discovered Friday and identified as the trio after their relatives traveled to Mexico to assist authorities.
Authorities believe the men were attacked while trying to avoid an attempted theft of a pickup truck.
Baja California State Attorney Maria Andrade suggested that the attackers wanted car tires and shot the tourists who resisted.
An abandoned tent, a burnt out white pickup truck and a telephone linked to the missing tourists were found nearby.
At a press conference on Sunday, Andrade said there was a “high probability” that the bodies were indeed three people, and that if the parents could visually identify them, there would be no need for lengthy forensics or DNA testing.
The two were found on Friday in a four-metre deep well, about six kilometers from the scene of the attack in the city of Santo Tomas.
A fourth body was found in the well, but it had been there longer and was unrelated to the incident, officials said.
Three suspects were detained on suspicion of direct or indirect involvement in the attack.
Earlier, the FBI said it was investigating the incident and was in contact with international partners.
Baja California is one of Mexico's most violent states, with local drug gangs fighting over turf.
But the Ensenada region, about 120 kilometers (75 miles) south of the U.S.-Mexico border and known for its surfing, is considered safer and has long attracted tourists from California. .