Relatives have identified three bodies found in a well as those of two Australian surfers and one American who went missing last weekend, Mexican authorities said Sunday.
Baja California state prosecutors said the relatives had viewed the corpses recovered from a remote well about 50 feet (15 meters) deep and recognized them as their loved ones.
Thieves apparently killed the three, who were on a surfing trip to Mexico’s Baja peninsula, to steal their truck because they wanted the tires. They then allegedly got rid of the bodies by dumping them in a well near the coast.
The well was located some 4 miles (6 kilometers) from where the foreigners were killed, and also contained a fourth cadaver that had been there much longer.
“Travel Mexico, where your tires are worth more than your life!”
It really sucks. My parents and I went across the Yúcatan when I was a teenager in the 90s and it was an amazing trip. There was a lot of very depressing poverty to see, especially since we mostly traveled on public buses and stayed in decent, but not luxury, hotels, but also so many memorable things, like Mayan ruins in the interior and coral reefs at Cozumel.
I don’t ever remember feeling unsafe. I didn’t even feel unsafe when I climbed the tiny steep steps up the Chichen Itza pyramid until I got too high and my parents made me come down (they don’t let you climb it now, probably wisely). I sure as hell never felt threatened by anyone.
Can confirm that Chichén Itzá is now roped off. And Yucatán is now the safest state in Mexico:
Mexico’s lowest-crime region is strengthening its reputation as an oasis of calm in a country roiled by drug killings. Yucatán, the southeastern state known for its Mayan ruins, has a homicide rate more than 90% lower than the national average.
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-05-10/how-did-yucatan-become-mexico-s-safest-state
Well that’s definitely good to hear about both things. I really shouldn’t have been allowed to climb it because it just adds wear to the already ruined structure despite it being in good condition.
I remember my dad just found a random Taxi driver that was able to converse well enough in both English and Spanish (my dad spoke shaky Spanish) to just drive us around a whole bunch of ruined areas. I imagine that could get you killed in some parts of Mexico today, so it’s good to hear that the Yúcatan is not one of them.
There is a huge difference between the mainland cities and the places that attract tourists. I enjoy places like Cozumel but I’d never step foot in Mexico City or even Tijuana.
We weren’t just in tourist cities. We were in Cozumel, but we were also in Merida, which was not really a tourist area at the time.
Edit: We were also in Tulum, but I don’t remember much about it other than it being pretty run down.
Flying out of Mexico City and being in a bus station there blew my mind at 14 yo
Technically, your life is worth 1 1/3 tire.
Three lives / five tires (including spare)? That’s .6 lives for a tire. So I guess technically your life is worth 1.2 tires.
What it it was only one of those tiny spares?
Then your would have to take the overall volume difference between the spare and the standard tires, but even if you don’t factor the spare, your at 3/4 so more like 1.25 tires per life… I think
For a time in Brazil, people were getting killed to get their snickers stolen. What a world.
Do you mean sneakers like the shoes, or were they killing for chocolate bars?
Edit: so -> do
Shoes. I misspelled it.
RIP
Wonder if that remote area is on the US state department no go list.
Baja California Sur state – Exercise Increased Caution
Exercise increased caution due to crime. Criminal activity and violence may occur throughout the state. There are no restrictions on travel for U.S. government employees in Baja California Sur state.
Thank you.
Have looked through all of MX there before. So sad.
I live in San Diego and go to Mexico often, and this story has made me so sad to see. I was just in Ensenada last month, and it’s such a beautiful city and we enjoyed our trip exploring great food and taking in music. Unfortunately, stories like this from a couple bad actors will dissuade thousands from experiencing a great place. It’s a damn shame and it’s hard to swallow that this could’ve been me and my friends who were the unlucky ones. I feel for their families so hard in all of this.
Not just killed. Murdered. Imagine getting murdered…for truck tires. What a group of savages.
