Mexican authorities reveal how they found bodies of two Australian brothers and American friend killed during surfing trip

Mexican authorities have revealed how they found the bodies of two Australian brothers and their American friend after they were killed on a surfing trip on Mexico's Pacific Coast.

Jake and Callum Robinson were with Carter Rhoad in Baja California when they went missing in April 2024.

A court in Ensenada has heard from authorities involved in finding the men, including homicide detectives and forensics officers.

The chief of the state missing persons unit told the court investigators acquired their first clue on May 1, 2024, about four days after the men went missing.

The officer said a search was conducted in the area where the victim were camping near Punta San José, a remote surfing location about 80 kilometres south of Ensenada.

"We located a house in front of the ocean, like a ranch, apparently abandoned. Approximately 100 to 120 metres from the house, there was a well that caught my attention," the officer told the court.

The officer said the case was referred to the homicide unit when burned human remains were found inside the well.

Forensic evidence at the crime scene

Three Mexican men — Jesús Gerardo, also known as "El Kekas", Irineo Francisco and Ángel Jesús — are charged with aggravated homicide, aggravated burglary, violent robbery and grand theft auto.

Last year the former girlfriend of El Kekas, Ari Gisell, was sentenced to 20 years' jail for her role in connection with the murders. She is expected to testify in the trial next week.

A forensics specialist who testified on Thursday, local time, told the court they located blood-stained clothes in the abandoned home near the well.

Among the items found at the crime scene were a pair of brown boots and a sweater, a .45-calibre bullet, blood smears and a tooth.

The forensics specialist said all items were severely burned.

The defence lawyers questioned whether items such as the bullet were "old" and pointed out discrepancies in timelines recorded by authorities.

The forensics specialist told the court they had been unable to confirm when the items may have been burned, as they did not have access to laboratory results of items from the scene.

The trial was expected to last about a month, but a last-minute judge replacement has potentially thrown that timeline into disarray. It will continue next week.

Once the trial is finished, the judge will have 24 hours to make a judgement, and another week to hand down his verdict.