Sinaloa: Vehicle VIN match in missing Australian surfers case

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 20^th.  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.

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

Coleman in Mexico

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.

From Dean Lucas travel log, in Zihuatanejo, the destination of Devert when he vanished

The National Post:

From Coleman's sister's FB

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.

A friend reflects on the life of Coleman, excerpt below is from an article published by ABC.Net.Au:

Mr Coleman 'in love and ready to settle down' 

Mr Osmanhodzic last caught up with Mr Coleman on a trip to Bali a year ago.
"He was going through this transitional period. He was about to go into the next chapter," he said.

"I reckon [the trip to Mexico] was his last trip, he was ready to settle down and you could tell he was in love."

Mr Coleman and Mr Lucas arrived in the Mexican state of Sinaloa on a ferry from Baja California at night before beginning a journey toward Guadalajara, some 900 kilometres away.

Their burnt out van was found a day later in a rural area of Novolato, about 160 kilometres south of Topolobampo.

Sinaloa is considered one of the most dangerous places in Mexico.

'I'm glad they weren't alone'

Mr Raitt said the pair would have had no hesitation travelling to the area.

"They would have thought 'this is going to be great fun, this is going to be awesome, everywhere we go there's going to be good people and we're going to have a ball'."

"That's just how they lived."

He takes some comfort in knowing they were together in their final moments.
"It gives me some sort of satisfaction that they were together," Mr Raitt said.
"They were lifelong buddies.

"They would have comforted each other in the worst moment of their lives and now they're resting together as well.

"I'm glad they weren't alone."