The parents of one American and two Australian surfers, believed to have been murdered in northern Mexico, have entered the country to potentially identify bodies presumed to be their offspring, stated a regional Mexican official on Sunday.
Forensic evaluations are underway by authorities in Baja California on three bodies discovered in a well this week, suspected to be the Australian siblings Callum, 33, and Jake Robinson, 30, and American Carter Rhoad, 30.
However, the process has been prolonged, and Baja California’s state Attorney General Maria Elena Andrade noted that the parents are presently completing necessary paperwork to determine if a direct visual identification of the bodies is feasible.
Should the parents successfully identify the bodies, it would eliminate the necessity for DNA testing, Andrade explained during a press conference.
The three individuals were missing during a surfing vacation near the well-frequented tourist location of Ensenada, roughly 90 minutes south of the U.S.-Mexico border along the Pacific coast.
On Saturday, Andrade mentioned that there was a “high degree of probability” that the bodies uncovered earlier that week were those of the missing surfers.
She added that despite the bodies being in a highly decomposed state at the bottom of a well over 15 meters (50 feet) deep, certain physical traits strongly suggest their identities.
A representative from the attorney general’s office informed Reuters that each of the three bodies had suffered a gunshot wound to the head.
The surfers were last seen on April 27 and were declared missing a few days later, prompting a multi-day search operation with assistance from the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
Although considered safer compared to other regions, Baja California remains one of Mexico’s most violent states, prompting the U.S. State Department to advise Americans to reconsider travel to the area due to risks of crime and kidnapping.
