Key Points
- Jake and Callum Robinson were on a surf tip in Mexico's Baja California region when they went missing.
- The brothers were travelling with a friend who is also missing. Police said their burnt-out car had been found.
- "Callum and Jake are beautiful human beings," their parents said. "We love them so much and this breaks our heart."
The parents of two Australian brothers who went missing in Mexico have released a statement, praising their "beautiful" sons and thanking police and the Australian government for their support in attempting to find them.
Jake and Callum Robinson — both aged in their 30s and from Perth — were on a surf tip in the Baja California region, in Mexico’s northwest, when they failed to turn up at their accommodation in the city of Rosarito earlier this week.
Debra, their mother, said she had not heard from them since Saturday.
The brothers were travelling with an American friend, Jack Carter Rhoad, who is also missing. Police said their car had been found burnt-out on a ranch near the city of Ensenada, about 80 kilometres south of Rosarito.
Callum is a type one diabetic and there are concerns for his health.
'Beautiful human beings'
In a letter sent to the media on Friday, the men’s parents, Debra and Martin, said 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. We love them so much and this breaks our heart," they said.
"Callum has been living in the US since following his dream to become a college lacrosse player then becoming a professional lacrosse star and ultimate represent Australia at the highest level … He is widely known in the US as the Big Koala. We think of him as our big soft friendly giant.
"Jake only left Australia two weeks ago to visit Callum. It was a trip of a lifetime to see visit [sic] his brother, before shortly taking up a new position at Geelong hospital in Victoria. This follows his recent roles working in regional hospitals around Australia – always with a surf beach located nearby. Jake is such a gentle soul and would want no harm."
Debra and Martin explained that Callum and Jake had attended the Coachella music festival in California’s Colorado Desert before driving across the US border San Diego to spend a few days surfing in Mexico.
"Surfing is a passion they both share," they said. "Our only comfort right now is that they were together doing something they passionately loved."
'A really concering situation'
Martin and Debra said they were overwhelmed by the love and support from friends and family, and asked people to continue to respect their privacy during what they described as a distressing time.
They also thanked the police, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and staff from the Australian embassy for "continuing the search to find the answers we so desperately seek".
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese described the brothers’ disappearance as "a really concerning situation".
"Our embassy in Mexico is working with local authorities as well to try to ascertain what has happened here," Albanese told Seven’s Sunrise program on Friday.
"We certainly hope that these brothers are found safely but there is real concern about the fact that they've gone missing. Their mother is obviously very distressed about this and we just hope for a positive outcome."
Mexican police say they have questioned three people in relation to the men's disappearance.
One is a woman and two are men. The woman is believed to have been found with a mobile phone that contained a photo that looked like one of the brothers.
Baja California's chief prosecutor María Elena Andrade Ramírez said abandoned tents and other evidence had been found at the site where the missing men had last been seen that linked the three people police questioned to the case.
But she would not specify whether they were suspects or witnesses — or if drug cartels, which are active in the area, could be involved in the men's disappearance.
