MEXICO CITY - Three bodies found in north-western Mexico have been identified by relatives as those of two Australians and an American who went missing during a surfing trip, said the authorities on May 5.

The relatives had arrived in Mexico on May 5 to identify the bodies, which were found with gunshot wounds to the head, the authorities added.

“The state prosecutor’s office confirms that the bodies found in the well in the area known as La Bocana, south of Ensenada, correspond to Jake and Callum (Robinson), of Australian origin, as well as the American (Jack) Carter,” a statement said.

Brothers Callum and Jake Robinson, and their friend Jack Carter, were believed to have been killed during a botched theft of their pickup truck, said state prosecutor Maria Elena Andrade at a press conference. 

Bodies belonging to the three men “all have a hole in their head made by a firearm projectile”, Ms Andrade said, adding that the trio had previously visited Mexico several times without any problems.

Three suspects, two men and one woman, have been detained on suspicion of involvement in the case, according to prosecutors.

One of those arrested has a history of violence, drug dealing and robbery, officials said.

Investigators said earlier that the bodies, which were recovered from a cliff-top shaft in the crime-hit north-western state of Baja California, were very likely those of the missing tourists.

The remains were in an “advanced state of decomposition”, Ms Andrade said.

But “given their clothing and certain characteristics such as long hair and specific physical descriptions, we have high probability” that the bodies are those of the three missing men, she said.

Another corpse found at the site had been there longer and was unconnected to the others, officials said.

AFP journalists saw the authorities use a pulley system to extract the mud-covered bodies from the shaft on May 3 near the town of Santo Thomas, about 45km south-east of Ensenada.

‘Tragic loss’

The brothers’ mother, Ms Debra Robinson, had sounded an alarm on a Facebook page for Baja California tourists several days ago, after the young men dropped out of contact.

A missing poster shared on social media said Callum Robinson was 33 and his brother Jake was 30. It named their friend as Jack Carter Rhoad, aged 30.

Callum’s Instagram page showed several images from the trio’s Mexico trip – enjoying beers with their feet up in a bar, lazing in a jacuzzi, eating roadside tacos and looking out at the surf.

The 1.93m Callum had played in the US Premier Lacrosse League, which left a message on its website saying the lacrosse world was “heartbroken by the tragic loss” of the trio.

Jake was a doctor in Perth, according to Australian media.

Baja California is known for its inviting beaches, and its resorts are popular with US tourists, partly because of their proximity to the border.

It is also one of Mexico’s most violent states because of organised crime gangs, although cartel activity does not commonly affect foreign tourists.

Dozens of surfers protested in Ensenada on May 5 with messages written on their boards including “beaches, security, freedom, peace” and “no more deaths”.

The latest case echoes that of two Australian surfers who were murdered and their bodies burned while they were travelling in the north-western Mexican state of Sinaloa in November 2015.

Criminal violence in Mexico has claimed 450,000 lives and led to more than 100,000 disappearances since the end of 2006, when the government launched a controversial anti-drug strategy involving the military. AFP