Heartbreaking tributes are beginning to flood social media in relation to missing Perth brothers Callum and Jake Robinson, amid devastating revelations authorities in Mexico have reportedly now found up to four bodies in their search for the Australian siblings.
As their parents Debra and Martin flew out of WA – possibly bound for Mexico – crushing news broke that authorities there had found several bodies in the La Bocana region of Mexico, about 200km south of San Diego.
Initially, there were reports three bodies had been found in the latest search for the missing brothers.
But late on Saturday morning there were reports that a fourth body had also been found. There are unconfirmed reports that fourth body could be the owner of a nearby local ranch who had been missing for several weeks.
Local media reports say an “intense operation” was well underway after the four bodies were found at the bottom of a well, about an hour-and-a-half from Ensenada – which is near where the Robinson brothers and their American friend Jack Carter Rhoad were last seen about a week ago.
The trio had been travelling together as part of a surfing trip.
Although there is no official confirmation as yet as to the identity of the bodies, tributes for the men have begun to flood social media in the past few hours.
Callum’s US based lacrosse team at Stevenson University posted a tribute to him on Facebook on Saturday morning.
In the tribute, they described the 33-year-old who lived and worked in San Diego as having a larger than life personality and was someone who inspired others.
“Callum will be remembered for his infectious spirit and larger-than-life personality. With his beautiful long hair and charming smile, he truly embodied the nickname ‘big koala’—warm, friendly, and always there to lend a helping hand,” the tribute read.
“Though he may be gone, Callum’s legacy will live on in our hearts forever. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and loved ones during this difficult time.”
San Diego local Emily Horwath posted a series of photos and videos of Callum to her Instagram page on Saturday morning.
“Mr heart is shattered into a million pieces,” she wrote, as she posted one photo of her and the 33-year-old embracing.
In another photo posted to her Instagram story of the pair kissing she said: “I will love you forever.”
Another of Callum’s friends – Brent Hiken – said he was lost for words following Saturday’s news.
“You made everyone feel like family and everyone was your best friend,” Mr Hiken said on Instagram.
“Our best memories were always with you. Truth is, everyone wanted to be like you but no one was even on the same planet. It was a honor (sic) to get be your friend.”
On Friday, Callum and Jake’s parents released a statement to the media in which they thanked everyone for their support thus far in trying to locate their boys.
“Callum and Jake are beautiful human beings. We love them so much and this breaks our heart,” they said in the statement.
“We thank everyone, especially the police, DFAT, Australian embassy staff and other authorities, for continuing the search to find the answers we desperately seek.”
The FBI – which has had some involvement in the search for the three missing men since they vanished – reportedly released a statement to CBS News about Saturday’s developments.
“While we cannot comment on specifics to preserve the sanctity of the investigative and legal processes, along with protecting the privacy of those impacted, we can assure you that we are assessing every tip,” the FBI is reported to have said in its statement.
On Friday, Baja California Attorney General María Elena Andrade Ramírez told reporters that three Mexican people — a woman and two men — had been arrested in connection to their disappearance.
Ms Ramírez said authorities were concentrating on three abandoned tents south of the Ensenada region where the missing men were believed to be staying before they disappeared.
She said the chances of finding the men had been diminished because authorities were not alerted quickly enough.
Local media has reported that blood was discovered at the tent site and a truck believed to belong to one of the brothers had been found burnt out at a nearby farm.
Officials from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade are providing ongoing assistance to the Robinson family, who live in the northern Perth suburb of Sorrento.
In a statement issued on Saturday the department confirmed the Australian Embassy in Mexico City continued to work closely with the Australian Federal Police and local authorities on the matter.
“The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade recognises this is a very distressing time for the family and is in regular contact with them to provide support,” a DFAT spokesperson said.
“Owing to our privacy obligations we are unable to provide further comment.”
The department recently reviewed and updated its travel advice for Mexico.
“We’ve reviewed our advice for Mexico and continue to advise exercise a high degree of caution overall due to the threat of violent crime,” DFAT’s latest travel advice reads.
Drug cartels are known to operate in the region and the state’s chief prosecutor has said “all lines of investigation” remained open as to how and why the men had gone missing.
In 2015, West Australian surfers Adam Coleman and Dean Lucas were murdered, believed to have been shot by gang members in the neighbouring Sinaloa region, before their van and bodies were burnt.