Missing Australian Surfers Remains Found in Burned Van?
Mexican officials said they were administering DNA tests on a pair of burned bodies found along with the remains of a van, the Guardian reported. The van is said to belong to one of two missing Australian surfers, who authorities fear may have been killed while driving through the territory of a notorious drug cartel.
Dean Lucas and Adam Coleman were meant to arrive in Guadalajara, Mexico on Nov. 21 after a three-week road trip that started in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, the outlet reported. According to authorities, on Nov. 20, the pair took a ferry from Baja California, landed in Topolobampo, and set off, hoping to drive through the night to Guadalajara.
They went missing sometime that night, after last being seen entering a convenience store in Los Mochis. The charred wreckage of the van — as well as the human remains — were found the next day near Novolato.
Mexican Attorney General has CONFIRMED burnt out van was that of Dean Lucas + Adam Coleman. Details 7am @9NewsPerth pic.twitter.com/iagbQDutaW
— Nine News Perth (@9NewsPerth) November 30, 2015
Novolato is in the Sinaloa district of Mexico, home of the infamous Sinaloa Cartel, run by current fugitive drug kingpin Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán.
Andrea Gomez, Coleman’s girlfriend and a native of Mexico, told the Associated Press, “I had talked to them about the insecurity but I never told them about the terrible things that can happen [in Mexico]. For that I feel a bit responsible.”
Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop expressed “very grave” concerns for the missing men and told Australia’s Channel 9, “We are working closely with the family, keeping the family informed of whatever we know and I understand that family members, a partner, will be traveling to the United States and then to Mexico to help with the identification.”
As The Guardian points out, the U.S. State Department has issued a travel warning for Mexico given the recent rise in violence against foreign travelers. The warning for the Sinaloa region specifically reads:
Defer non-essential travel to the state of Sinaloa except the city of Mazatlan, where you should exercise caution, particularly late at night and in the early morning. One of Mexico’s most powerful criminal organizations is based in the state of Sinaloa, and violent crime rates remain high in many parts of the state. Travel off the toll roads in remote areas of Sinaloa is especially dangerous and should be avoided. We recommend that any travel in Mazatlan be limited to Zona Dorada and the historic town center, as well as direct routes to/from these locations and the airport.
A GoFundMe page has been set up to give the families of the two men financial support for their travel to Mexico.
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