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The bodies of two killed Perth brothers were transported across the border from Mexico to the United States, beginning their journey home.
Callum, 33, and Jake Robinson, 30, and their friend Jack Carter Road, 30, were surfing and camping in northern Mexico when they failed to check into their pre-booked accommodation near the town of Ensenada on April 27.
When police arrived at their last known location, they found a campsite covered in blood.
Days later, three bodies were found dumped in a well about 6 kilometers away and on Sunday their families confirmed their identities.
Mexican authorities believe that at some point between the afternoon of April 27 and the following day, several people approached the trio intending to steal their vehicleand “due to the reaction of the victims, they are deprived of their lives”.
The Coroner in Baja California confirmed that they each died from a single bullet wound to the head.
On Tuesday, in an emotional statement at Ocean Beach, where their son Callum lived, their mother Debra Robinson said it was “time to bring them home to family and friends and the ocean waves in Australia”.
“Please live bigger, shine brighter and love harder in their memory.”
And on Friday, their bodies were moved to a funeral home in San Diego.
A bombshell confession
On Thursday, Baja California Governor Marina del Pilar Ávila Olmeda confirmed that three people had been detained as a result of the investigation into the execution-style killings.
One of them was identified as 33-year-old Mexican national Jesus Gerardo – also known by the alias El Quecas – who made his first court appearance Wednesday. He is charged with enforced disappearance, which amounts to kidnapping.
He has a criminal record that includes drug distribution, car theft and domestic violence.
During the hearing, the judge read a letter from a woman who identified herself as his girlfriend, who was taken into custody after an iPhone belonging to one of the victims was found in her possession.
She told police she was not involved in the murders, but claimed Gerardo confessed to the murders, telling her he “screwed three gringos,” and when she asked him what he meant, he replied, “I I killed them.”
Gerardo has pleaded not guilty and remains in police custody until his next court hearing in November.
His brother was also arrested but not charged.
7NEWS understands that authorities have not ruled out the possibility that others may be involved.
Although Baja California has been plagued by drug cartel violence in recent years, it rarely occurs in tourist areas like Ensenada. Dozens of people staged a protest last week in Ensenada, calling on authorities to do more to address the violence faced by both tourists and locals.
Although parts of Mexico are established tourist destinations, serious crime, including kidnapping and human trafficking, affects parts of the country, especially in border areas.
Mexico’s homicide rate is among the highest in the world, and more than 100,000 people remain unaccounted for in the country. Studies show that only about seven percent of murders in Mexico are solved.
– with the correspondent of 7NEWS USA Miley Hogan, NBC, CNN and AP
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