The families of two Australian surfers missing in Mexico "hold deep fears" after two bodies were found in a burned van in a region dominated by a prominent drug cartel.
The van — identical to one belonging to Dean Lucas and Adam Coleman, the two surfers — was found in Navolato on Nov. 21, the Sydney Morning Herald reported. Mexican authorities were unable to identify the bodies immediately because they were too badly burnt.
Navolato is in the Mexican state of Sinaloa, home of the deadly Sinaloa Cartel. The cartel's leader, Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán, escaped from federal prison in July.
The DEA believes the Sinaloa cartel is the United States' greatest supplier of illegal drugs.
The Associated Press reported that Lucas and Coleman were planning to meet Coleman's girlfriend Andrea Gomez that day in Guadalajara in the Mexican state of Jalisco.
Gomez and Lucas' partner Josie Cox each took to social media following the disappearance on Nov. 21, posting photos of the two men and the van they drove from Alberta, Canada.
According to a post on Cox's Facebook page, Lucas and Coleman were last seen disembarking a ferry from Cabo to Topolobampa on Nov. 20.
However, the Sydney Morning Herald reports that the two men were last seen in Los Mochis, across the Gulf of California from Cabo in Sinaloa. The newspaper reported that a witness said the two men looked as if they were in a hurry and were trying to purchase a map.
The two bodies and the van were found roughly 130 miles south of Los Mochis the next day.
A GoFundMe page started by user Kaye Maytum has raised almost $40,000 as of Monday afternoon to "help support both families in getting over to Mexico and bringing Dean and Adam back home."
The page says that the surfers' families and partners are aware of media reports that the two surfers went missing during a trip to Mexico and that the van has been located by Mexican authorities. "They hold deep fears for the safety of their sons but stress that they are still waiting for details to be confirmed," the GoFundMe page reads.
The Associated Press reported that Cox and Gomez will travel to Mexico City and meet at the Australian Embassy. They plan to provide DNA evidence to help identify the bodies.
"Never felt so alone and useless," Cox said in a Facebook post made from Edmonton International Airport on Sunday. "On my way to get some answers."
