Guilt-ridden friend of Callum and Jake Robinson reveals twist of fate that saved him from same grim end as two Aussie brothers killed in Mexico – and the hand-drawn map that blew the case wide open

A close friend of one of two Australian brothers allegedly murdered by thieves during a surfing trip in Mexico has revealed how he almost took part in their doomed holiday.

San Diego photographer Randy Dible is now overcome with guilt after recommending his neighbor Callum Robinson, 33, stay on a remote stretch of coastline known for its surf spots in Baja, Mexico.

Mr. Dible sketched a rough outline for his neighbor of how to gain access to a remote beach and campsite where shell casings and blood would later be found.

Mr Robinson, a professional lacrosse player, invited Mr Dible to go on the trip with his younger brother Jake, 30, and their American friend Jack Carter Rhoad, 30.

However, the photographer got a job and had to cancel.

“I told him about this place because I had been traveling all over the country for 30 years, so I know it like the back of my hand and I knew exactly where to go,” Mr Dible said. The Australian.

“And he was killed right there.”

The three men were about an hour and a half south of the U.S.-Mexico border when they disappeared just a few days into the trip.

The brothers’ mother made a desperate plea on social media after the group didn’t show up at an Airbnb they booked in Rosarito.

Mexican authorities found shell casings and blood at a campsite where the three men were last seen. Investigation led them to a well about two kilometers away.

Three bodies, as well as a fourth body believed to be a local rancher, were discovered Saturday in the well on a cliff near the ocean.

It took rescuers 20 hours to remove the bodies from the well, while authorities had not yet officially confirmed the identification of the remains.

Relatives of the victims are traveling to Mexico to see if the bodies can be identified by sight before other tests are conducted.

Physical characteristics, including hair and clothing, mean there is a “high probability” the bodies are those of the three surfers, authorities said.

It comes as Attorney General María Andrade Ramírez said the murder investigation would investigate whether the men were killed in an attempted robbery.

She said the thieves were likely interested in the gentleman’s truck, a white Chevrolet Colorado pickup, and specifically the tires.

“There’s a very good chance it’s them,” Andrade Ramírez said.

“When they attempted to obtain the vehicle, the victims resisted the robbery. The robbers were armed with a firearm and apparently shot the victims.”

Three Mexicans, Jesus Gerardo Garcia Cota, alias El Kekas, his girlfriend Ari Gisel Garcia Cota, and his brother Christian Alejandro Garcia, were arrested on Wednesday and charged with forcible kidnapping.

Ms García Cota, 23, reportedly had a mobile phone belonging to the missing men.

It is understood police were able to make the arrests after one of the brothers’ mobile phones was turned back on and pinged a local mobile tower.

According to local media Zeta and Talk Baja, all three suspects were found in possession of an assortment of methamphetamines and other illegal drugs.

Baja California, where the men shared their vacation snaps, is known as one of Mexico’s most violent, cartel-controlled states.

The disappearance of the men is not linked to organized crime, but investigators are not ruling anything out.

In social media posts Callum shared just before they disappeared, the trio were seen relaxing on Rosarito Beach, where they were reportedly surfing and camping while traveling along the west coast of Mexico.

They reportedly planned to travel to Ensenada, about 50 miles up the coast, but concerns arose when they failed to check into an Airbnb on Sunday.

The last image posted to Callum’s Instagram showed the group reaching San Miguel Beach in Ensenada before disappearing without a trace.

A chilling photo showed their white Chevrolet Colorado pickup truck on a beach in Rosarito, which police believe was the same vehicle later found burned out.

“…and it begins,” Callum had captioned an image of the truck on the beach, alongside a Mexican flag emoji, at the start of the trio’s doomed journey.

The Robinson brothers had attended Coachella before heading to Mexico to surf.

Callum was based in the US, where he was an accomplished lacrosse player known as ‘the Big Koala’, and his brother Jake, who worked in regional hospitals across Australia, had flown to San Diego to visit him two weeks ago.

Rhoad worked in technology services in San Diego.