A murder trial in Ensenada, Mexico, has heard that the FBI was responsible for finding the bodies of two Australian brothers and their American friend who were killed during a surfing trip in April 2024.
On the second day of the trial, a colleague of Callum Robinson testified that the FBI had been "cooperating with Mexican authorities" on the case. The involvement of the US intelligence agency had not previously been made public. The ABC asked local Mexican authorities to confirm the FBI's involvement, but they refused to comment.
Jesús Gerardo (also known as "El Kekas"), Irineo Francisco and Ángel Jesús are charged with aggravated homicide, aggravated robbery, violent robbery and grand theft auto. The three men were believed to have been camping at a remote coastal area when they were attacked and shot dead. Their bodies were later found dumped in a well.
The colleague, who asked not to be identified, travelled with the three men on the surf trip and returned early to San Diego for work. He became concerned when he did not receive replies to texts sent on April 28. After contacting the Airbnb where the men were meant to stay, he learned the hosts had not heard from them.
He contacted Carter Rhoad's wife, Natalie, who tracked the last location of Carter's phone to a neighbourhood near Ensenada. The colleague then drove there with seven other friends. Believing the area unsafe to knock on doors, they headed to Punta San Jose, where they believed the men planned to camp on April 27.
There, the group found what the colleague described as a "black footprint" of a burnt-out tent along the bluff. He immediately recognised a mug belonging to Callum. Other items included a Birkenstock buckle and a glasses case belonging to Carter Rhoad, along with what appeared to be blood and a shell casing. Mexican authorities identified the site as a crime scene.
The colleague said he was told a few days later that the bodies had been found by the FBI. The source also indicated that the parents of the victims do not hold "animosity" towards the killers, though further details of their statement were not available from the trial.