An American surfer found dead in Mexico with two Australian brothers was set to be married in August.
Jack Carter Rhoad was just three months away from trading vows with his his fiancée, Natalie Wiertz, when his body was found in a remote area of Baja California.
He’d traveled to the region at the end of April for a surfing and camping trip with Australian pals, Jake and Callum Robinson, who were also discovered dead over the weekend.
They were last seen on April 27 near a popular camping spot in Punta San Jose, near the port city of Ensenada. The trio, all in their early 30s, were reported missing two days later, after they failed to show up at their booked accommodations.
Authorities now believe the men were murdered by a group of thieves who wanted to steal the tires from the truck they had been driving. The suspects then got rid of the bodies by dumping them in a well near the coast, about four miles away from where the victims were killed, Baja California’s chief state prosecutor María Elena Andrade Ramírez told reporters.
Relatives and loved ones over the weekend confirmed the bodies were those of Rhoad and the Robinson brothers.
According to Zola, an online wedding registry, Rhoad was set to tie the knot with Weirtz on Aug. 17 in Columbus, Ohio. They announced their engagement in a post on Facebook in July 2023.
“In the wake of the heartbreaking loss of Carter Rhoad, Callum Robinson, and Jake Robinson, our hearts ache with grief for their families, friends, and community,” wrote GoFundMe organizer Aubrey Byerson on a post shared over the weekend.
“Their presence brought immeasurable joy, love, and kindness to those around them, leaving a mark on our lives.”