Remains of two Southern California tourists found in well in Mexico

The remains of two missing tourists from Southern California were found in a well in Baja, officials say.

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Wednesday, September 9, 2020
Remains of two SoCal retirees found in Baja
The remains of two missing tourists from Southern California were found in a well in northern Mexico, officials say.

MEXICO CITY -- Authorities have identified bodies found in a well in northern Mexico as two missing tourists from Southern California, officials said Monday.

The Baja California state prosecutor's office said in a statement that the victims were identified as retirees Ian Hirschsohn, 78, and Kathy Harvey, 73. Their disappearances were reported to authorities Sept. 2, the statement said.

Investigators searching an unpopulated area south of Ensenada spotted human remains at the bottom of the well the following day. They were recovered Friday and Saturday, the statement said.

Media reports indicate the retired couple may have been killed during a robbery at the home where they were staying and their bodies were then dumped in the well a short distance away.

They were from the San Diego area.

Meanwhile, at the southern end of the Baja Peninsula, the Baja California Sur state prosecutor's office said the body of 65-year-old Craig Harrison was found on the beach in Cabo Pulmo Saturday evening. An autopsy determined that he had been stabbed in the chest before ending up in the ocean.

Harrison, a citizen of South Africa and Canada who settled in Mexico, had been missing since Aug. 29. According to his real estate website, Harrison settled in Cabo San Lucas in 1997 after working as an accountant and a wine importer in Canada.

He ran a vacation rental business in Cabo.

Additionally, a Los Angeles city firefighter who went missing during a visit to Baja may have been the victim of a violent kidnapping last month.

Firefighter Frank Aguilar, who has been with the LAFD for 20 years, disappeared in August after he went to his condo near Rosarito, Mexico. Authorities say his home was ransacked and his Jeep and motorcycle were missing.