Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Gringo Went Surfing in Mexico...

...along with 2 Australians

https://www.reuters.com/world/ameri...ourists-went-missing-sources-2024-05-03/

Bodies found in Mexico where Australian, US tourists went missing
By Lizbeth Diaz
May 4, 20244:14 AM EDTUpdated 2 hours ago




MEXICO CITY, May 3 (Reuters) - Mexican authorities have located three bodies in the state of Baja California where one American and two Australian tourists were reported missing, the local prosecutor's office said in a statement late on Friday.

Australian brothers Callum, 33, and Jake Robinson, 30, and American Carter Rhoad, 30, were last seen on April 27, the Baja California state prosecutor's office previously announced. It referred to the missing American as Jack Carter Rhoad.
Forensic tests on the remains will be conducted by a state laboratory which will allow for positive identification of the bodies, the prosecutor's office said in its statement.

Investigators continue to search the rugged area where the bodies were found for additional evidence, the statement added.
The three men were on vacation surfing near the popular tourist town of Ensenada, about 90 minutes south of the U.S.-Mexico border.
On Thursday, state prosecutor Socorro Ibarra said that three people were being investigated in connection with the case. Her office noted on Friday that arrest warrants have been obtained for the crime of forced disappearance.




Tents were found in the area where the missing men were last seen, said Ibarra, adding that they were formally reported missing days after their actual disappearance.
A burnt white pickup truck was also found in the area, authorities said.
Baja California is one of Mexico's most violent states, although the Ensenada area is considered safer. The U.S. State Department advises Americans to reconsider travel to the state due to crime and kidnapping.

Asked about the discovery of the bodies, a U.S. State Department spokesperson said: "We are aware of those reports and are closely monitoring the situation."
A spokesperson for Australia's foreign ministry said their embassy in Mexico was working closely with Mexican authorities and the Australian Federal Police.
"The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade recognises this is a very distressing time for the family and is in regular contact with them to provide support."

Darwin lives...

California is one of Mexico's most violent states, although the Ensenada area is considered safer. The U.S. State Department advises Americans to reconsider travel to the state due to crime and kidnapping

But let’s have an open border they say.

No amount of telling someone "Stay out of Mexico" will convince people to not travel there.

They don't believe you... Until reality hits.

Don’t need to go to Mexico, plenty of them here.

I went surfing in Mexico. My buddy and I drove down from Georgia, we went to the Pacific coast, way south of where this story happened, great surfing down there. This was 1978. There are little campgrounds all along the coast where 20 or 30 Gringos camp out, and went fishing and surfing. Staying in those campgrounds, and talking to all those Gringos, we never heard any stories of anybody getting harmed by the drug cartels.

The biggest problem was Mexican cops, called Federales, shaking down the Gringos for a bribe for some supposed infraction. And we did shell out a ten dollar bill on more than one occasion, to a Mexican cop.

Back in 1986, '88 and '93 we went down to the other side of Mexico, the Caribbean coast near Isla Mujeres, had a great time, we went skin diving in the crystal waters of the Caribbean, we climbed the fantastic Maya pyramid at Chichen Itza, never had any problems with Mex cops, never heard of any problem with the drug cartels. I really enjoyed all those trips to Mexico.

In the past 30 years, times have changed south of the border, the Cartels are murdering people all over the country, I wouldn't go back to Mexico if you paid me.

They'll hold Rhoad's body until his family comes up with the ~$40-50K bribe to get him back. Dunno about the Aussies...
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deyWhiteGitThem

I’d love to visit Mexico, like you did.

Can’t.

It’s gone.

Destroyed by the demand for drugs in our country.

Why would anybody with a couple of brain cells to rub together go anywhere on the wetback reservation on purpose? I have zero sympathy for anybody that stupid who dies in the process.

Quite true, ironically. Gringos with lots of money buy all the dope Mexico can send across the Rio Bravo. Take away the Gringo dopers and Mexico would be a pretty nice country.

IIRC from a report I half-listened to a few days ago, Alaska was #1 in fentinal deaths last year, 350 or so.

Stupid is as stupid does and it WILL bite you in the ass sooner or later, whatever the activity. Drugs, visiting chitholes, voting Democrat, other risky behaviour.

They are really pushing the Narcan stuff up here - everyone is suppised to carry a kit, in their mind.

Well screw that. Let Darwin work.

I've been to mexico 36 times. All over that country. It's gone. Replaced by a narco state. No desire to go back.

You've been warned.

In the 60s and 70s, many good travels down there. Other than the mordida nuisance, it was all good.

Not long ago went less than 2 blocks across the line into a tiny border town, looking around and over my shoulder the whole time, and glad to quickly get back out.

The way things are going, may soon feel that way in Tucson and Phoenix.

Safer than WHAT?

L.W.

My.little brothers friend died unexpectedly in Mexico on vacation a couple of years ago. He was in his 40s and his heart stopped probably relayed to the covid Vax. It cost his wife over $100,000 to get his body out of Mexico.

I often have to remind my wife I'll never go to Mexico again. Not even a cruise stop. Id much rather go to costa rica.

We spent about 10 days in Playa del Carmen a dozen years ago. I never felt safe their and was threatened by corrupt cops after not wanting to pay for 80 liters of fuel in a car that only held 42. A nice Mexican guy pulled me aside and told me to pay it and get the hell out of there quick because I was too white and those guys would love to just kill me. I asked the gas clerks or the cops and he said everyone.

Bb

Playa del Carmen! I drove through there a dozen times, back in the eighties, running between the Cancun airport and the beaches of Tulum. We would rent a car at the Cancun airport and in fact I fueled up in Playa del Carmen several times, no Problema. Alas, that was 30 years ago. Looks like times have changed.

localdirt you went to Mexico 36 times, damn! You beat my record. I went down 9 times for a total of six months. My first trip, I was a 19 year old kid, drove by myself from Atlanta to the coast right at Isla Mujeres, where Cancun now is. In 1970 Cancun did not exist. Took the ferry and spent a month on Isla Mujeres getting to know some American tourist girls. Tourist girls liked the Wild Georgia Boy. Sandy beach under a full moon at midnight, a big beach towel...

Mexico was a great place to visit back then.

But times have changes I ain't going back.

My hunting buddy that salt and fresh water fished the areas around the Gulf of Bahia wanted to go bass fishing again down there so called his regular guide and provider about a 10 day trip, guide said $5k for two, room, board, boat, fuel, and guide service. So my buddy sent the guy a Bank wire. He received the funds, that very night five cartel gang members showed up at his house, shot him in the head in front of his family and took all the money.

So a bit later my son wanted us to go down from AZ and fish the Gulf, I told him that we did not have enough guards, guns or ammo to go on a fishing trip in the Bahia. That last deal involved more than just a big mouth telling local people he had money, like someone in the bank itself. The translation is very bad stuff can happen to you at any time, as the cartels have infiltrated the entire structure top to bottom.

Costa Rica isn’t all that safe either. Guy I worked with liked to go down to party with the prostitutes. He was warned not to wear any gold but did anyway because he’d been ther a dozen times and got away with it. He was robbed and stabbed with two police officers across the street watching. Then the police charged him for assault on the robbers and shook him down for another $5000 to drop the charges and let him leave the country.

There aren't many places in the world like the US, and there are a lot of places in the US that aren't like they should be!


Never been outside the US except Canada, and as a trucker I was always very glad to be back from there. Never wanted to be in a Canadian prison over screwed up paperwork, plus the time I found a bunch of 44 ag ammo in a box I'd taken from my pickup and put in the truck. That scared the hell out of me, it ended up in a service plaza bathroom garbage can.


There isn't any place else in the Americas I would feel safe from crooks or cops.

Much of Europe I'm not afraid of cops or crooks, buy their immigrants are another story. As a former trucker I understand the threats to traveler too well.
Often been told, "Don't spend the night there, or, Don't ever sleep here again, you were lucky. You must have parked after everyone was asleep."

A visitor can't know where not to go.