Both Callum (left) and Jake Robinson are keen surfers. Photo: Supplied / Instagram
By Carrington Clarke and Brad Ryan for the ABC
Mexican authorities say three bodies have been found in an area where two Australian brothers and their American travel companion are missing.
A local government official in Ensenada, in Mexico's north-west, told the ABC the bodies were found near a cliff on the Pacific coast on Friday morning, local time.
The bodies have not been identified.
Jake and Callum Robinson, originally from Perth, and their American friend Jack Carter Rhoad have not been heard from since 27 April.
They were surfing and camping in Baja California, south of the US border, but had failed to show up at their accommodation in the city of Rosarito.
The car the three travellers had been using was found, burnt out, on a ranch in the area.
Authorities confirmed tents had also been found where the men were believed to be staying.
The Baja California coast is a popular surfing destination but is also plagued by violent drug cartels. The state contains many smuggling routes used by the cartels to get to the US, but tourist spots such as the Enseneda area are generally considered safer than other parts.
Local authorities fear the men met with foul play. But Baja California's Attorney-General, María Elena Andrade Ramírez, said they did not currently believe there was a link to organised crime.
Speaking through a translator, she told the ABC the disappearance of the men was an "atypical, exceptional case".
"We have a tourist influx and a similar case has not occurred," she said.
An appeal was shared on social media. Photo: Supplied
Three people - two brothers, and a 23-year-old woman romantically linked to one of them - were arrested earlier this week.
The woman was allegedly found with a mobile phone belonging to one of the missing Australians, local police said.
All three of the people arrested allegedly had drugs on them when they were detained. A pick-up truck belonging to one of the arrested trio had been seized, Ramírez said.
"We have a substantial amount of evidence and are conducting a comprehensive investigation," Ramírez told the ABC on Friday, local time.
"However, we have not uncovered any clues that could indicate their survival."
Callum, 33, is a successful lacrosse player who has played with several American teams. Jake, 30, is a doctor working in Perth, who had travelled to the US to visit his older brother.
Family and friends have been using social media to appeal for help finding the men. They said their lack of recent contact was out of character.
Their parents Debra and Martin Robinson said on Friday they were "heading to the US/Mexico to be as close as possible to the area where they were last seen".
"Callum and Jake are beautiful human beings," they said in a statement to media.
"We love them so much and this breaks our heart.
"Our only comfort right now is that they were together doing something they passionately loved."
- This story was first published by the ABC
