David Fisk and Lucita Barquin Cortez: Chilling new details emerge of Aussie couple brutally murdered in Filipino hotel – as it’s revealed the family are haunted by tragedy
EXCLUSIVE
The family of an Australian man who was murdered along with his wife and a female relative in the Philippines lost his mother to cancer 18 months ago. Witnesses reported seeing a man loitering near the crime scene.
David James Fisk, 57, his wife Lucita Barquin Cortez, 55, a Filipino-born Australian citizen, and her Filipino daughter-in-law Mary Jane Cortez, 30, were found dead at The Lake Hotel, in Tagaytay in Cavite province, southwest of Manila.
Hotel staff discovered the theft on Wednesday when they failed to check out. The victims were reportedly found face down, their hands and legs tied with electrical cords and shoelaces, and their mouths covered with tape.
According to local media, Fisk’s throat was slit in the horrific attack.
Police say they have not yet established a motive and are looking for a man who was spotted on CCTV footage on Wednesday morning leaving the room with a bag.
According to local media, a security guard, Rodney Parahinog, encountered the man at the entrance of the resort at 6am on Wednesday and asked him where he was going.
Pictured: 57-year-old Australian citizen David James Fisk and his Philippine-born Australian wife Lucita Barquin Cortez, 55.
Mr Parahinog said the man said he had checked into the room and was holding a key card for Mr Fisk’s room.
As the victims’ families cope with the tragedy, Daily Mail Australia can reveal the deaths came just 18 months after the loss of the Fisk family’s mother Jan in February 2023.
Mr. Fisk’s adult twin daughters, Lacinda and Brittany, also lost their maternal grandmother, Joan Elshaw, in May.
Both women had battled cancer and Mr. Fisk and his daughters supported charities that helped people suffering from the disease.
“You suffered much in silence, your spirit never wavered, you fought with courage for life, until the end,” reads an obituary for the beloved grandmother.
“You left us with memories that make us laugh and cry, but the love you planted in our hearts, Will never die.”
In May, Mr Fisk completed a 63km walk for Canteen Australia in support of young people affected by cancer.
Last month, Lacinda, Philanthropy Coordinator at Cancer Council NSW, announced she would be taking part in Dry July in honour of her grandmother.
Mr Fisk and his daughters Brittany (left) and Lacinda (right) are supporters of the Cancer Council NSW
Pictured: Jan and Barry Fisk. Jan passed away in February of last year, while her husband passed away in 2019
“Remember that every donation, big or small, makes a difference for people affected by cancer,” she wrote on social media.
The tragedies in succession take place just weeks before Lacinda is to marry her fiancé in August.
On Friday morning, Mr. Fisk’s family released a statement expressing their grief and pleading for answers to questions about the horrific death.
“The love we feel for our father and Lucita is so great and this situation is like a nightmare,” the statement said.
‘We pray for answers and the truth in this horrific case and pray for their safe return to Australian shores.
‘David’s daughters, well-known and much-loved locals in Sutherland Shire, ask on behalf of their family that the media respects our privacy at this incredibly difficult and tragic time. We will not be commenting further.’
The family has a GoFundMe to help ‘obtain justice for all loved ones involved’ and will be used to ‘relieve the financial stress and burden resulting from this incredibly difficult time’.
Meanwhile, tributes are pouring in online, with devastated relatives remembering the “friendly” couple.
The three murder victims are pictured left and center, along with another family member (right) during Mr. Fisk’s visit to the Philippines with his partner Lucita Barquin Cortez
A family member shared a photo of the couple during their vacation in the Philippines, calling for justice.
“RIP to the three of you,” she said. “I hope you get justice. You don’t deserve what happened to you, you’re too kind, why did this happen to you?
“I hope whoever did this gets caught.”
A long-time neighbour of Mr Fisk and Ms Barquin Cortez told Daily Mail Australia on Friday that the couple were “very, very nice”.
She said she last saw them two weeks ago, when they were on their way to the airport for their holiday abroad.
“They were so happy to go to the Philippines,” she said. “I’m so shocked. It’s so sad.
‘I can’t believe they’re gone. [alive].
Mrs. Cortex and her daughter-in-law Mary Jane, the third victim
Police are appealing for witnesses and would like to speak to a man seen on CCTV wearing a mask, black hoodie and maroon shorts.
A statement from the Tagaytay Cavite Provincial Police Office said the station’s investigation team has been activated and “searches are being conducted at all possible points in Tagaytay and nearby provinces to apprehend and identify the suspect.”
Mayor Abraham Tolentino apologized to Australia and promised the incident would be resolved “as quickly as possible.”
“We are shocked by this incident,” he told local media. “We express our deepest condolences to our Australian friends.”
The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFAT) confirmed it was providing consular assistance to the families of the two Australians who died.
“We extend our condolences to the families at this difficult time,” a DFAT spokeswoman said.
‘Due to our privacy obligations, we are unable to comment further.’
The Australian couple were reportedly scheduled to fly back to Australia on the day of their deaths, but decided to extend their trip at the last minute.
Mr Fisk’s body will be taken to Sydney, while both women will be buried in the Philippines. The government will pay for the funeral and cremation.
The luxury hotel where the couple was found offers panoramic views of the world-famous Taal Lake and the volcano.
Opened in 2008, the four-star Lake Hotel Tagaytay costs $356 per night and is a 90-minute drive from Manila.