Three people have been arrested in relation to the disappearance of Jake and Callum Robinson, after the brothers vanished on a surfing trip in Mexico.
The Perth men were staying in Baja California, in Mexico’s north-west, when they failed to return to their accommodation in Rosarito. They, along Jack Carter Rhoad, an American man they were travelling with, have been missing since April 27.
Local police arrested a 23-year-old woman in relation to the men’s disappearance earlier this week, after she was found to be in possession of one of their phones.
As of Friday, police have arrested two more people — brothers, one of which is reportedly in a romantic relationship with the woman — after they found Jake and Callum’s burnt-out car near the city of Ensenada.
“All lines of investigation are open at this point. We cannot dismiss any of them until we find the whereabouts of these people and establish what happened in this case,” said Baja California Attorney-General María Elena Andrade Ramírez, per ABC news.
“Unfortunately, it wasn’t until the last few days that they were reported missing. So, that meant that important hours were lost.”
Local journalist Oliver Quintero, who first reported the woman’s arrest, alleged she and the other two men were tracked down because the phone was stolen.
“That is actually how [the three people] were found,” he told ABC Radio Perth.
“The police were able to track the GPS on one of the phones and that’s how they got the lady – she was the one who had the phone and was with the other two gentlemen.”
The woman and the men allegedly had drugs in their possession when they were detained.
Family of Jake and Callum Robinson beg public for help
Family and friends of Jake and Callum Robinson are pleading for help after they lost contact with the pair while they were on a surf trip in Mexico.
Concerns for the wellbeing of the trio also grew when Callum reportedly failed to show up for work back in San Diego.
According to a missing persons flyer that has been circulating across the internet, Jake, Callum and American citizen Jack Carter Rhoad — all in their 30s — were last seen near the K38 surf hotspot, which is near the Airbnb they were supposed to check into.
ABC News reported they were camping at a popular surfing spot near Ensanada when they went missing.
Jake and Callum’s mother Debra Robinson shared a Facebook post pleading for anyone with information on her sons’ whereabouts to come forward.
“Reaching out to anyone who has seen my two sons. They have not contacted us since Saturday 27th April,” Debra began.
“They were due to book into an Airbnb in Rosarito after there camping weekend but they did not show up.”
Debra noted that Callum was a type one diabetic and shared concerns for his health.
In the photo shared by Debra, there is a description of the vehicles the men were driving before they disappeared.
“They were driving Chevrolets Colorado utility with Californian number plates — 70189W1,” the picture reads.
In a statement obtained by ABC News, Debra said she “sincerely appreciates everyone’s concern” for Jake and Callum.
“We sincerely appreciate everyone’s concern and thoughts at this time. We continue to have hope that our two beautiful boys are found,” she said.
“It is a deeply distressing time for us and we ask the media to respect our privacy at this time.”
Following the news of the sudden disappearance, Western Australia’s Premier Roger Cook described the ordeal as “really quite distressing”.
“This must be very worrying for the families involved,” he said.
“When we do send our young men and women overseas to enjoy that adventure holiday, they invite an element of risk.
“I understand one of the individuals has a medical condition that would need ongoing care.
“I share [the] concerns of all Western Australians in terms of their welfare.”
It is believed that Jake was visiting Callum, who’d been playing Lacrosse in the US. The trio — the brothers and Rhode — reportedly arrived at Santo Tomas last weekend.
WA Today reported that a Special Operation Group have joined forces with local authorities in their search for the missing men.
The publication also reported that Jake and Callum’s parents are planning to fly to Mexico as soon as possible.
Image source: 9News
