The mother of two Australian surfers killed in Mexico delivered a moving tribute to her sons Tuesday at a beach in San Diego.

“Our hearts are broken and the world has become a darker place for us,” Debra Robinson said, fighting back tears. “They were young men enjoying their passion of surfing together.”

Her sons, Callum and Jake, were allegedly killed by car thieves in Baja California, across the border from San Diego, somewhere around April 28 or 29.

Robinson also mourned the American who was killed with them, Jack Carter Rhoad.

The beachside location where she spoke, across the border from the Baja California city of Tijuana, was no coincidence. She noted that her son Callum “considered the United States his second home.”

Robinson noted that her son Jake loved surfing so much that, as a doctor, he liked to work in hospitals near the beach.

“Jake’s passion was surfing, and it was no coincidence that many of his hospitals that he worked in were close to surfing beaches,” she said.

Choking back tears, Robinson conveyed a final message that coincided with her sons’ adventurous lifestyles.

“Live bigger, shine brighter, and love harder in their memory,” she said.

Robinson thanked Australian officials and supporters there and in the United States.

While she thanked Mexico’s ambassador to Australia, she notably did not thank the local officials in Baja California who eventually found the bodies of her sons and Carter Rhoad.

Their killers dumped the bodies of the men into a well about 4 miles away from where they had been attacked at a beachside campsite.

Investigators were surprised when, underneath the bodies of the three foreigners, a fourth body was found that had been there much longer. It was unclear if the body was related to the current case.

The fact that such killers are not caught or stopped in the overwhelming majority of cases in Mexico has led some Mexicans to protest that authorities only investigate such disappearances when they are high-profile cases involving foreigners.

Robinson said that her sons’ bodies, or their ashes, will eventually be taken back to Australia.

“Now it’s time to bring them home to families and friends,” she said. “And the ocean waits in Australia.”

Prosecutors have identified three people as potential suspects, two of whom were caught with methamphetamines.

One of them, a woman, had one of the victims’ cellphones when she was caught. Prosecutors said the two were being held pending drug charges but continue to be suspects in the killings.

A third man was arrested on charges of a crime equivalent to kidnapping, but that was before the bodies were found. It was unclear when or if he might face more charges.

The third man was believed to have directly participated in the killings. In keeping with Mexican law, prosecutors identified him by his first name, Jesús Gerardo, alias “el Kekas,” a slang word that means quesadillas, or cheese-filled tortillas.

He had a criminal record that included drug dealing, vehicle theft and domestic violence, and authorities said they were certain that more people were involved.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese told a radio station in the Robinsons’ home town of Perth in Western Australia state that every parent felt for the family’s loss.

“I think the whole nation’s heart goes out to the parents of Callum and Jake Robinson. It is every parent’s worst nightmare to lose a son or a daughter.

To lose these two brothers is just awful and my deepest sympathies and condolences and I’m sure the whole nation’s with the parents and with the other family and friends of these two fine young Australians,” Albanese told Perth Radio 6PR.

Albanese said he was reminded of when his only child Nathan Albanese traveled last year at the age of 22 to a musical festival in Spain.

“You do worry, but you think as well that’s part of the Australian right of passage, is traveling around with a backpack and meeting people and it’s how you grow as a person as well so you want to encourage them,” Albanese said.

In 2015, two Australian surfers, Adam Coleman and Dean Lucas, were killed in western Sinaloa state, across the Gulf of California — also known as the Sea of Cortez — from the Baja peninsula.

Authorities said they were victims of highway bandits. Three suspects were arrested in that case.

The donations were generous, but that’s an understatement. $120 million to the San Diego Symphony. A pledge of $100 million to the Salk Institute. More than $250 million in donations to UC San Diego.

Joan and Irwin Jacobs, the co-founder of Qualcomm, have made a huge financial impact on many San Diego schools and nonprofits. And now one half of that philanthropic team is gone.

Joan Jacobs died of heart failure on Monday. She was 91 years old. She and her husband donated hundreds of millions of dollars, spread among many San Diego organizations, including KPBS.

The former chief science officer at the Salk Institute, Martin Hetzer, called the Jacobs’ gift to Salk transformative.

“Fifty years from now people will look at this moment and will recognize this as a significant moment in our history. This is a long-lasting legacy and we are eternally grateful,” Hetzer said.

Joan Klein, the name she was born with, grew up in New York City and got her bachelor’s degree from Cornell University, where she met her future husband. Joan and Irwin Jacobs moved to San Diego in 1966, where Irwin was a founding member of UC San Diego’s engineering department.

Irwin called it an exciting opportunity. Joan said in a UCSD video production she was struck by the energy that went into building the new campus.

“When we first came, there was Urey Hall and the next day I went to see it, the grass was already out there and the next day I went the wall was already built. And I was just totally amazed by the speed at which things happened in California,” Joan Jacobs said.

Following his academic career Irwin Jacobs founded Qualcomm in 1985 and retired from the board in 2012. For the past couple of decades, he and Joan have spent lots of time giving away their fortune.

The marketing department at KPBS said the Jacobs have donated more than $14 million to the public broadcasting station over the years. KPBS leadership offered their condolences to the family.

“Joan and Irwin’s generosity to KPBS is by extension a commitment to the people of San Diego County to invest in our collective future. They have been our partners and supporters in making a transformational change in how we fulfill our public service mission,” said KPBS general manager Deanna Mackey.

Family members mourning Joan’s death include her husband, her four sons, grandchildren and great grandchildren. Granddaughter Sara Jacobs is a Democratic congresswoman representing San Diego’s 51st District.

“She pushed me and everyone around her to be the best versions of themselves,” Sara Jacobs said in a statement, following her grandma’s death. “She showed me that I could be feminine and win an argument, I could be a wife and mother and grandmother, and also a leader.”

SAN DIEGO (May 7, 2024) – The San Diego Wave announced today defender Naomi Girma is one of 11 players named to the Best XI of the Month, presented by Prime, for the months of March and April by the NWSL Media Association and the NWSL’s on-air broadcast talent. Six teams are represented in the league’s Top 11, including the Chicago Red Stars, the Kansas City Current, Portland Thorns FC, Racing Louisville FC, San Diego Wave FC and the Washington Spirit.

The 2023 NWSL Defender of the Year, Girma played in four games throughout March and April with a 94 percent pass completion percentage. As an anchor for the San Diego Wave backline, she won five tackles playing 328 minutes.

The Wave return home to host the Utah Royals tomorrow, May 8 at Snapdragon Stadium at 7 p.m. PT. Tickets are available here and the match will be broadcast live on CBS Sports Network. 

See below for the rest of the NWSL March/ April Best XI of the Month. 

GK – Alyssa Naeher (CHI): Alyssa Naeher started all six games of the season for the Chicago Red Stars and recorded 18 saves with one clean sheet. The NWSL veteran player has allowed six goals with a 75 percent save percentage throughout March and April.

D – Sam Staab (CHI): The three-time ironwoman recipient has six interceptions with two tackles won over March and April. The leader for consecutive games started in the NWSL helped Chicago to a 3-2-1 record to begin the club’s 2024 campaign.

D – Malia Berkely (NC): Malia Berkely has played every minute of the season so far for the North Carolina Courage recording one goal and a 91 percent pass completion percentage. The Ohio native has won six tackles and tallied 10 head duels.

D – Casey Krueger (WAS): Casey Krueger became the 40th field player in league history to pass the 10,000 regular-season minutes milestone and has two assists this season in back-to-back matches. The defender has won eight tackles along with six interceptions in 492 minutes of play.

 M – Croix Bethune (WAS): Croix Bethune shined in her rookie season, helping lead the Washington Spirit to a 4-2-0 record with three goals and one assist in March/April. The No. 3 overall pick in the NWSL Draft, presented by Ally, leads all rookies with three goals this season. Two of her three goals have been game-winners.

M – Taylor Flint (LOU): Taylor Flint had a standout start to her Racing Louisville career winning 17 tackles along with six successful dribbles past opponents. The six-foot-one midfielder has 26 interceptions and 27 head duels.

M – Vanessa DiBernardo (KC): Vanessa DiBernardo led the league with four assists throughout March and April. The Illinois native added three goals to her four assists and played 411 minutes. She has seven goal contributions this season through the first six games.

F – Bia Zaneratto (KC): The Brazilian international is adjusting to the NWSL nicely with four goals and three assists throughout March and April. The Sao Paolo native scored Kansas City’s third goal of the club’s home opener in her league debut. Along with Sophia Smith and teammate Vanessa DiBernardo, Bia has seven goal contributions this season through the first six games.

F – Temwa Chawinga (KC): Temwa Chawinga was the first player from Malawi to score in the NWSL on March 30 against Angel City FC where she also recorded an assist in that game. Temwa has scored four goals and notched two assists through the first five matches and has registered 14 shots, 10 on target.

F – Sophia Smith (POR): As the current Golden Boot leader, Sophia Smith has recorded five goals and two assists through six games. The Colorado native leads the league with 20 shots and 11 shots on target, which she also led in both categories in 2023. She scored her 35th regular-season goal in Week 4, becoming the 9th player to score 35 regular-season goals for a single club. Smith also has seven goal contributions through the first six games of the season.

As the presenting sponsor of the NWSL Best XI, Amazon Prime is bringing fans closer to the players they love by placing the spotlight on the excellence of the athletes selected for this honor. Prime encourages members to explore their passions and interests through the entertainment they watch, the music they listen to, and the things they like to buy. You could say: Whatever you’re into, It’s on Prime. Prime Video’s NWSL coverage continues every Friday night throughout the regular season.

The NWSL Best XI of the Month, presented by Amazon Prime, is selected each month of the regular season by the NWSL Media Association, a collection of writers that cover the league on a consistent basis, and the NWSL’s on-air broadcast talent.