3 friends drove from California to Mexico for surfing trip. Then they disappeared

Last month, two brothers and one of their friends crossed from the United States into Mexico to explore Baja California’s famous surf breaks. One of the brothers, Callum Robinson, 33, posted snapshots of their journey on Instagram, showing the men gazing out at the ocean with cups of coffee, enjoying street tacos and relaxing with beers on a roof deck.

After a stretch of camping, the friends were supposed to check into an Airbnb in Rosarito Beach last weekend. But they never arrived. Their relatives say the last time they heard from the men was April 27.

Their disappearance in one of Mexico’s most violent states has triggered a massive search involving local authorities, the FBI and the Mexican marines.

“We are looking for them on land and at sea,” Baja California Atty. Gen. María Elena Andrade Ramírez said Thursday. “We are making every effort.”

Authorities said they had questioned three people in the case and had located the pickup truck the men were traveling in. At a news conference on Thursday, Andrade would not confirm whether the three people questioned were considered suspects. She said authorities had also recovered a cellphone that was relevant to the investigation.

Callum, a lacrosse player, and his brother, Jake, a 30-year-old doctor, are both Australian nationals. Their friend, Carter Rhoad, 30, is from Atlanta and founded an online apparel company in San Diego, according to his Facebook profile.

The group was last seen near Santo Thomas, about 70 miles south of Rosarito, authorities said.

Debra Robinson, Jake and Callum’s mother, appealed for help on social media, noting that Callum is diabetic. “This is a very dire situation,” she said.

Baja California’s rugged coastline and epic waves have long attracted surfers from north of the border. In recent years, the state has been convulsed in violence, much of it connected to the drug trade. Last year, authorities recorded 2,116 homicides in the state — giving it one of the highest homicide rates in Mexico.

Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, who is serving his last year in office, ran on a promise of reducing violence in Mexico. While homicides nationally have dipped slightly during his six-year-term, they continue to hover near record highs.

—Cecilia Sánchez Vidal in the Times’ Mexico City bureau contributed to this report.