- Three found dead in Philippines hotel
- Australian couple and family member
- Police chase suspect as he leaves his room
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EXCLUSIVE
An Australian couple believed to have been murdered along with a family member at a luxury hotel in the Philippines have been identified, as new, gruesome details of their deaths emerge.
The Australian husband, his Philippine-born wife and their daughter-in-law were found dead on Wednesday in their hotel room at The Lake Hotel, in Tagaytay in Cavite province, southwest of the Philippine capital Manila.
Local police have identified the victims as 57-year-old Australian David James Fisk, his wife Lucita Barquin Cortez, 55, a Philippine-born Australian citizen, and Mary Jane Cortez, 30, from Oriental Mindoro.
The younger woman is said to be Mrs. Cortez’s daughter-in-law.
Detectives have launched a manhunt for a male suspect wearing a black hoodie, maroon shorts, sneakers and a backpack. He was captured on CCTV leaving the victims’ room.
The victims’ lifeless bodies were found when a male hotel staff member visited their room to remind them to check out.
He found them lying face down, their hands and feet tied with an electrical cord and without shoes, while their mouths were taped shut with packing tape, he said. Rappler.
Local police have identified the victims as 57-year-old Australian citizen David James Fisk, his wife Lucita Barquin Cortez (pictured above), 55, a Philippine-born Australian citizen, and Mary Jane Cortez, 30, from Oriental Mindoro (below).
The victims were staying at the luxurious The Lake Hotel (pictured) in Tagaytay in Cavite province, southwest of the Philippine capital Manila.
The cause of death of the victims is currently unknown.
According to reports, a hotel security guard spotted the suspect around 6 a.m. the morning the three victims were found.
During interrogation, the suspect claimed that he had checked into the victims’ room.
Police have been interviewing witnesses and reviewing security cameras at the hotel over the past two days.
According to local police chief Charles Daven Capagcuan, there is no known motive for the killings and no valuables, such as the victims’ phones, were taken.
Local mayor Abraham Tolentino was shocked when he heard about the alleged murders.
“We were shocked that an incident like this happened in Tagaytay… it’s been a long time since an incident like this happened,” he said ABS News.
“We sympathize enormously with our Australian friends.”
‘This really doesn’t exist.’
Mr. Fisk is pictured with his wife Mrs. Cortez
Mrs. Cortex and her daughter-in-law Mary Jane, the third victim
All three victims were remembered as “beautiful souls” in a heartbreaking tribute on social media on Thursday.
It is believed the Australian couple were due to fly back to Australia on the day of their murder, but at the last minute they decided to extend their trip.
A Filipino relative of Ms Cortez told the Associated Press news agency that the couple flew from Sydney to Bali before visiting the Philippines so Ms Cortez could see two children from a previous marriage.
Mr. Fisk is believed to have two daughters, one of whom is due to get married in a few weeks.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade said it was aware of the deaths and was providing consular assistance to those affected, but declined to provide details about their identities for privacy reasons.
“We express our condolences to the families during this difficult time,” a spokesperson said.
Offering majestic views of the world-famous Taal Lake and volcano, Lake Hotel Tagaytay is a 90-minute drive from Manila.