EXCLUSIVE
The heartbroken girlfriend of one of the Australian surfer brothers killed with their friend during a botched robbery in Mexico has spoken out following his murder.
Callum and Jake Robinson and their American companion Jack Carter Rhoad were last seen on April 27 in the Mexican province of Baja California.
Mexican authorities said bandits attacked the three men to steal tires from their truck before killing them all and dumping their bodies in a well.
Baja prosecutors released grisly details of the killings and officially confirmed the identification of the bodies Monday morning.
The Robinson brothers’ family had flown to Mexico to examine the bodies and assist in the grim task of officially identifying the remains.
Following the tragedy, Callum’s girlfriend Emily Horwath shared a heartfelt tribute on social media.
“You’re one of the only ones,” she wrote alongside a photo of the couple sharing a kiss. ‘I will love you forever.’
Callum’s girlfriend Emily Horwath shared heartfelt tribute on social media
“You’re one of the only ones,” she wrote alongside a photo of the couple sharing a kiss. ‘I will love you forever.’
The loved-up couple headed to Australia for last Christmas vacation
She also posted an Instagram story that read: “My heart is broken into a million pieces, I have no words 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, 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 days into the trip.
The brothers’ mother made a desperate appeal on social media after the group failed to show up at an Airbnb they had 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 located about 2 km away.
Three bodies, as well as a fourth body believed to be that of a local rancher, were discovered Saturday atop a cliff overlooking the ocean.
The Robinson brothers attended Coachella before heading to Mexico to surf. Callum was based in the United States where he was a lacrosse player known as “Big Koala”, and Jake, who worked in regional hospitals across Australia, had flown in for him two weeks ago to visit.
Australian brothers Jake, 30 (left) and Callum Robinson, 33 (right), pictured with their parents, were last seen with their American friend on April 27.
Prosecutors have released grisly details of the murders, including that of American Jack Carter Rhoad, 30 (pictured).
It took rescuers up to 20 hours to pull the bodies out of the well, with pphysical characteristics, including hair and clothing, matching all three men.
It comes as Attorney General María Andrade Ramírez said the investigation into the murder would determine whether the men were killed during an attempted robbery.
She said the thieves were likely interested in the men’s truck, a white Chevrolet Colorado pickup truck, and specifically the tires.
“The probability that it is them is very high,” said Andrade Ramírez.
“When attempting to recover the vehicle, the victims resisted the theft. The robbers were armed with a firearm and apparently shot the victims.”
Three Mexicans, Jesus Gerardo Garcia Cota, aka El Kekas, his girlfriend Ari Gisel Garcia Cota and his brother Christian Alejandro Garcia, were arrested Wednesday and charged with forcible kidnapping.
Police believe the trio’s vehicle was found burned in the Santo Tomás area (photo)
Ari Gisel García Cota, 23, is one of three suspects arrested. She would be the companion of Jesús Gerardo Garcia Cota, also arrested.
Brothers Jesús Gerardo Garcia Cota and Cristian Alejandro García were two of the three people arrested. We don’t know which brother is which in their photos
Ms. García Cota, 23, apparently had one of the missing men’s cell phones.
It appears police were able to make the arrests after one of the brothers’ cell phones was turned back on and pinged a local cell tower.
The three suspects were found in possession of an assortment of methamphetamines and other illegal drugs, according to local media outlets Zeta and Talk Baja.
Baja California, where the men shared their vacation photos, is known as one of Mexico’s most violent and cartel-controlled states.
The men’s disappearance is not linked to organized crime, but investigators are not ruling anything out.
In social media posts shared by Callum just before their disappearance, the trio were seen relaxing at Rosarito Beach, where they surfed and camped as they traveled along the west coast of Mexico.
They reportedly planned to move to Ensenada, about 50 miles from the coast, but concerns were raised when they failed to check into an Airbnb on Sunday.
The last image posted to Callum’s Instagram showed the group heading to 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 say was the same vehicle later found burned.
“…and it begins,” Callum captioned an image of the truck at the beach, alongside a Mexican flag emoji, at the start of the trio’s doomed trip.
The Robinson brothers had attended Coachella before heading to Mexico to surf.
Callum was based in the United States, where he was an accomplished lacrosse player known as “the big koala”, and his brother Jake, who worked in regional hospitals in Australia, had traveled to San Diego there two weeks to visit him.
Rhoad worked in technology services in San Diego.
READ MORE: Guilt-ridden friend of Callum and Jake Robinson reveals the twist of fate that saved him from the same dark end as two Australian brothers killed in Mexico – and the hand-drawn map that broke the case .
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