After a week of searching and hoping the families of three surfers missing in Baja California learned last night that their loved ones were dead.
The parents of Callum and Jake Robinson and of Carter Rhoad identified the remains of the young men, who had been on a surf vacation near Ensenada when they were robbed and killed.
In the wake of the deaths, protesters took to the streets in Baja following the young men's violent deaths.
Callum was from Australia but he lived in Ocean Beach. His brother Jake was visiting him when they decided to take a road trip into Mexico with their friend Rhoad. That trip ended in tragedy.
Get San Diego local news, weather forecasts, sports and lifestyle stories to your inbox. Sign up for NBC San Diego newsletters.
Surfers near Playa San Miguel took to the streets this weekend to protest the men's deaths, saying something needs to be done to stop the violence in Baja, a place known for great surfing and for good times, until now.
The trio's bodies were pulled from a remote well not far from where they were last seen a week ago. All three had been shot in the head execution-style.
"I camped there last May by myself, Ocean Beach photographer Randy Dible told NBC 7.
Local
When he met Callum not long ago, Callum asked Dible for surf spots in Mexico.
“So I drew him a little map," Dible said. "I said where to go and then he asked me if I wanted to go and I said, 'Sure it sounds fun,' you know."
Dible mentioned Santo Tomas to Callum because Dible has surfed there for decades.
“I’ve been going down to Santo Tomas Valley ever since I was a toddler, you know?" Dible said. "I found it very safe."
Dibe couldn't make it this trip. He said he never imagined something so tragic would happen in a place that had so many good memories.
“I just feel bad because maybe if we didn’t meet, this wouldn’t have happened to them,” Dible said.
Since the killings, online fundraising pages have popped up for Rhoad to help his family with expenses and to create scholarships and donations to the causes he felt strongly about.
Police said the men were killed for the tires on their truck. Three people have been arrested, according to authorities in Mexico, but the investigation is ongoing.
