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The heartbroken close friend of one of the two Perth brothers who disappeared in Mexico has described how he “lit up a room” as authorities investigate whether the two were killed in a “robbery gone wrong”.
Officials are awaiting DNA results after the bodies of brothers Callum and Jake Robinson and their American friend Jack Carter Road were found 10 meters down a well.
Three Mexicans, Jesus Gerardo Garrica Cota, also known as El Quecas, his partner Ari Gissel García Cota and his brother Cristian Alejandro García, have since been charged with the forced kidnapping.
Sources tell 9News it is believed the trio will be charged with murder in the coming days.
Haley Jacobs told 9News that she saw her close friend Calum the morning he left for Mexico, but quickly sensed something was wrong when she didn’t hear from him during his trip.
“I haven’t heard from him and it’s like my mom asked me if I’ve heard from them and I’m like ‘I think he’s mad at me?'” she said.
“I don’t know what’s going on, but I think he’s mad at me, like something doesn’t seem right.”
Jacobs was emotional as she spoke about her friend, saying he “lit up the room.”
“If we were at a restaurant having dinner and he asked for the waiter’s name, he would write his name in his notes and his phone and how he knew how he met him and how he contacted him,” she said.
“He showed me the notes and met hundreds of people.”
Callum was based in the United States where he played professional lacrosse. But Jacobs said her friend had new goals on her return to Australia.
“I asked him what his goals in life were and he just said he wanted to come back to Australia and have a family and grow up,” she said.
His Stevenson University lacrosse team observed a moment of silence for the man they called “The Big Koala,” as coach Paul Cantabene told his family their arms were folded.
The suspects are believed to have demanded the group’s white van before the fight broke out.
Police said shell casings were found at the scene.
The trio was arrested in possession of methamphetamines and one of the missing men’s phones.
While awaiting DNA results on the bodies found, the brothers’ parents, Martin and Debra Robinson, are on their way to Mexico from Perth.
“I’m saying it’s very, very likely that it’s them,” Baja California Attorney General Maria Elena Andrade Ramirez told 9News.
“They were in a state of decomposition. That’s why we need to do the genetic testing.”
Baja California prosecutors said Thursday (local time) that they are questioning three people in the case.
Ramirez said evidence found with the abandoned tents was linked to the three people questioned about the missing foreigners.
“A task force (of investigators) is at the location where they were last seen, where tents and other evidence were found that could be linked to these three people that we are investigating,” Ramirez said Thursday.
“There is very important information that we cannot make public.
Although drug cartels are active in the area, she said, “all lines of inquiry are open at this time.”
The US State Department said: “We are aware of these reports (of bodies) and are monitoring the situation closely. We have no further comment at this time.”
One of the three Mexicans arrested in connection with the trio’s disappearance was previously identified as 23-year-old Ari Gase.
The mobile phone of one of the missing men was found in it.
It is understood that she turned on the phone, which caused it to ping a local cell tower and allowed authorities to track her down.
Surfers in the area told 9News they have seen increased drug distribution on the beaches by the cartels, but could not speak on camera for fear of retribution.
9News understands that three bodies were found on a cliff by the ocean, about 2km from what is believed to be a men’s campsite.
It is known that the fourth body was found deeper in the well and had been there longer.
“Mexican authorities who are conducting the search say this is the last place they were seen,” Santo Tomas Police Cmdr told 9News.
9News’ Alison Piotrowski traveled to the site and described the road near the campground as “very treacherous.”
Three abandoned tents were also discovered along with the remains of a campfire.
“There was a very heavy police presence and an army presence. There were at least 100 soldiers and officers there,” Piotrowski said.
“None of them were authorized to confirm whether or not these were the bodies of the three men.”
Calum moved to the US to play lacrosse in college and later played the sport professionally.
Jake was visiting his brother before starting a new job at a hospital in Geelong, Victoria.
The friends were at the Coachella festival in California before heading to Mexico.
In 2015, two Australian surfers, Adam Coleman and Dean Lucas, were killed in the western state of Sinaloa, across the Gulf of California – also known as the Sea of Cortez – from the Baja Peninsula.
Authorities said they were victims of highway robbers. Three suspects have been arrested in the case.
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