EXCLUSIVE
The heartbroken girlfriend of one of the Australian surfer brothers who died with their friend in a botched robbery in Mexico has spoken out following his murder.
Callum and Jake Robinson and their American buddy Jack Carter Rhoad were last seen on April 27 in the Mexican province of Baja California.
Mexican authorities said bandits attacked the three to steal the tires of their truck before killing them all and dumping their bodies in a well.
Baja prosecutors released gruesome details about the killings and officially confirmed the identification of the bodies Monday morning.
The Robinson brothers’ family had flown to Mexico to view the bodies and help with the grim task of officially identifying the remains.
In the wake of the tragedy, Callum’s friend Emily Horwath shared a heartfelt tribute on social media.
“You are one of one,” she wrote alongside a photo of the couple sharing a kiss. ‘I will always love you.’
Callum’s friend Emily Horwath shared a heartfelt tribute on social media
“You are one of one,” she wrote alongside a photo of the couple sharing a kiss. ‘I will always love you.’
The loving couple traveled to Australia over the Christmas holidays
She also posted an Instagram story that said, “My heart is broken into a million pieces, I have no words for it right now.”
The US-based couple had traveled from their home in San Diego to Australia over Christmas and New Year and shared photos from Melbourne and Perth.
Police say they found three abandoned tents south of Ensenada, which were splattered with blood, according to local media.
The three men were about a 90-minute drive south of the U.S.-Mexico border when they disappeared just a few days into the trip.
The brothers’ mother made a desperate plea on social media after the group didn’t show up at an Airbnb they booked in Rosarito.
Mexican authorities also found shell casings at the campsite where the three men were last seen. Further investigation led them to the well, about two kilometers away.
Three bodies, as well as a fourth body believed to be a local rancher, were discovered Saturday in the cliff overlooking the ocean.
The Robinson brothers went to Coachella before heading to Mexico to surf. Callum was based in the US, where he was a lacrosse player known as ‘the Big Koala’, and Jake, who worked in regional hospitals across Australia, had flown out to visit him two weeks ago.
Australian brothers Jake, 30, (left) and Callum Robinson, 33, (right) and pictured with their parents, were last seen with their American boyfriend on April 27.
Prosecutors have released gruesome details about the murder, including that of 30-year-old American Jack Carter Rhoad (pictured)
It took rescuers up to 20 hours to remove the bodies from the well, with Frhysical features, including hair and clothing, matching the three men.
It comes as Attorney General María Andrade Ramírez said the murder investigation would investigate whether the men were killed in an attempted robbery.
She said the thieves were likely interested in the gentleman’s truck, a white Chevrolet Colorado pickup, and specifically the tires.
“There’s a very good chance it’s them,” Andrade Ramírez said.
“When they attempted to obtain the vehicle, the victims resisted the robbery. The robbers were armed with a firearm and apparently shot the victims.”
Three Mexicans, Jesus Gerardo Garcia Cota, alias El Kekas, his girlfriend Ari Gisel Garcia Cota, and his brother Christian Alejandro Garcia, were arrested on Wednesday and charged with forcible kidnapping.
Police believe the trio’s vehicle was later found burned out in the Santo Tomás area (photo)
Ari Gisel García Cota, 23, is one of three suspects arrested. She is reportedly the partner of Jesús Gerardo Garcia Cota, who was also arrested
Brothers Jesús Gerardo Garcia Cota and Cristian Alejandro García were two of the three arrested. It is unclear which brother is which in their mugshots
Ms García Cota, 23, reportedly had a mobile phone belonging to the missing men.
It is understood police were able to make the arrests after one of the brothers’ mobile phones was turned back on and pinged a local mobile tower.
According to local media Zeta and Talk Baja, all three suspects were found in possession of an assortment of methamphetamines and other illegal drugs.
Baja California, where the men shared their vacation snaps, is known as one of Mexico’s most violent, cartel-controlled states.
The disappearance of the men is not linked to organized crime, but investigators are not ruling anything out.
In social media posts Callum shared just before they disappeared, the trio were seen relaxing on Rosarito Beach, where they were reportedly surfing and camping while traveling along the west coast of Mexico.
They reportedly planned to travel to Ensenada, about 50 miles up the coast, but concerns arose when they failed to check into an Airbnb on Sunday.
The last image posted to Callum’s Instagram showed the group reaching San Miguel Beach in Ensenada before disappearing without a trace.
A chilling photo showed their white Chevrolet Colorado pickup truck on a beach in Rosarito, which police believe was the same vehicle later found burned out.
“…and it begins,” Callum had captioned an image of the truck on the beach, alongside a Mexican flag emoji, at the start of the trio’s doomed journey.
The Robinson brothers had attended Coachella before heading to Mexico to surf.
Callum was based in the US, where he was an accomplished lacrosse player known as ‘the Big Koala’, and his brother Jake, who worked in regional hospitals across Australia, had flown to San Diego to visit him two weeks ago.
Rhoad worked in technology services in San Diego.
READ MORE: Callum and Jake Robinson’s guilt-ridden boyfriend reveals a twist of fate that saved him from the same grim end as two Australian brothers murdered in Mexico – and the hand-drawn map that blew the case wide open
