Lucio R. Borderland Beat
Reminiscent of the Harry Devert Kidnapping/Murder
Canada’s National Post and Associated press is reporting the Vin number on the burned out van found in Sinaloa with two immolated bodies, is a match to a van registered in Alberta, Canada to Adam Coleman. This information came from PJGE Sinaloa (state atty general).
Sinaloa authorities have come under attack for being remiss in the case of the two Australian surfers in Mexico visiting friends and surfing, who went missing after being heard from last on November 20th. Adam Coleman and Dean Lucas, childhood friends, were living and working in Canada, and enjoyed traveling during the construction down time.
The van was discovered the next day, yet authorities did not connect the dots for over a week. One story of speculation by authorities when the van was discovered by a resident, was that the victims may have been transitory from northern Mexico, selling goods from their van.
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| Lucas and Cox his last FB post 5.15 |
This guesswork, even though the Australian Embassy had the report of the missing men and their exact location when they went missing.
Notification was registered with local government as well as inquiries by family and friends. Newspapers in Mexico did not make the possible link until November 30.
Relatives of missing persons usually turn to the press of their country when a loved one vanishes in Mexico. That is a futile effort, contacting Mexican press is the best course of action, especially the smaller regional newspapers and radio stations.
Embassies and agencies of ones nation of origin can do very little, the power is in the hands of Mexico. This is not to say not to contact your embassy, just know they have no control in a foreign nation.
Authorities were asked why the VIN number was not matched before today. The answer was, “Most of the van’s paint had burned off and its license plates were missing.”
The bodies are undergoing DNA testing .
National Post:
“A spokeswoman for the Sinaloa attorney General’s office, said the two Australian surfers got off a ferry from the Baja California peninsula at Topolobampo, Sinaloa, at about 10:30 p.m. on the night of Nov. 20
They apparently began driving immediately, but didn’t get far.
The van and the bodies were found a day later in a rural area of Navolato, about 160 kilometres south of Topolobampo, after police received a citizen’s report on the abandoned vehicle.
“they may have camped out on the way to Guadalajara.” Said the spokeswoman.
Lucas’ partner, Josie Cox, said she’d received a text message the night of Nov. 20, and she said Coleman had planned to meet his girlfriend, Andrea Gomez, in Guadalajara, on Nov. 21. She is in agreement that they may have pulled off road to catch up on some sleep.”
The case is reminiscent of the Harry Devert case. Devert, an American who went missing and last heard from while traveling through Michoacán. Like Lucas and Coleman, Devert also traveled extensively. Many of their travel log photos are interchangeable.
His mother Ann was relentless in her search for her son, she traveled to Mexico on a campaign searching for information that would lead to his whereabouts.
Months after Devert’s his disappearance, an anonymous call gave the information that led to his dismembered remains. He was suspected as being an U.S. agent by kidnappers. Devert was traveling with two passports, French and American, with many “travel stamps” of various countries. Devert, Coleman and Lucas were fluent in Spanish.
It seems off that in a robbery scenario the killers wouldn’t make the effort of torching the vehicle, bodies, and removing the plates. Those actions are done more in line with attempts to conceal identification, in a robbery it doesn’t make sense, but in what is perceived as high-profile victims it does .
Harry Devert motorbike and remains discovered in Guerrero
All three men were 33 years of age on the day they went missing.
On Jan 25, 2014, the same day as Devert went missing so did another American, James Stacy, he was kidnapped in Tamaulipas. His body and late model truck were never found.
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| From Dean Lucas travel log, in Zihuatanejo, the destination of Devert when he vanished |
The National Post:
An online fundraising campaign to support the two men’s families to travel from their home in Golden Bay in Western Australia state had raised more than 22,000 Australian dollars ($16,000) within a day.
Family members will travel to Mexico within days to assist Mexican police and Australian consular officials. A GoFundMe page has received donations from almost 230 people since it was established late on Sunday.
“My brother’s family is overwhelmed by the response,” Coleman’s aunt Jane Cattermole said on Monday.
“Now they can bring Adam home,” she added.