Police have launched an investigation after the naked bodies of an Irish couple were found next to a hot tub in their rented Spanish home.
The couple, who stayed in the exclusive Cap Blanc neighborhood of Cullera, a historic seaside resort in the United States Valencia region, were found dead and injured by their teenage children on Tuesday afternoon.
After discovering their bodies, the teens, ages 14 and 16, rushed to the homeowner for help, who immediately called emergency services.
Police are now trying to determine the cause of death, with detectives knocking on nearby doors to speak to witnesses to see if they had an accident or were killed.
Officers reportedly noticed that the water in the jacuzzi was unusually cloudy, so they took a sample for laboratory testing.
Local authorities have sent a social worker and a psychologist to Cullera to help the teenagers, who are traumatized and do not speak Spanish.
Local media reported that the two siblings already needed extra support beyond what children their age need, even before the death of their parents was taken into account.
The couple stayed in the exclusive Cap Blanc area of Cullera, a historic seaside resort in the Valencia region
An uncle of the children is reportedly traveling from Ireland to Spain in the coming hours and will take custody of them.
Shortly after midnight, the bodies of the Irish couple were taken to the Institute of Legal Medicine in Valencia, where an autopsy will be carried out this morning.
The deployment of police and homicide detectives in Cap Blanc – one of Cullera’s most desirable neighborhoods – has caused a stir.
Neighbors who had spent all day on the beach returned home to hear of the horror that had befallen the Irish couple.
Cap Blanc is built in terraces on the hillside of Mount Faro, so most houses there have panoramic views over the bay.
Last week, a pensioner was found dead after allegedly being accidentally left in a minibus in Spain’s scorching heat.
The body of the 84-year-old man, who has not been named, was discovered in Tomares near Seville in southwestern Spain when temperatures reached a maximum of 32 degrees Celsius.
Police in Spain are investigating the death and a Guardia Civil source said last night that ‘all options’ were still on the table.
The vehicle he was found in was said to have been adapted to transport the elderly and was believed to be owned by a local retirement home.
Civil Guard officers are taking witness statements and awaiting post-mortem results before deciding whether there was negligence in the man’s care and whether any arrests should be made.
Initial reports indicate the unnamed man was in the minivan for several hours before he was discovered on Friday – and heat exhaustion is said to be a possible cause of death according to the first emergency calls received.
