The vicious killer of an Australian couple and their daughter-in-law spent five hours in their hotel room in the Philippines after entering in the middle of the night using a swipe card.
Police are now trying to figure out what happened in the murder room during the mystery, just hours before the victims were found dead by hotel staff.
Sydney businessman David Fisk, 57, his 55-year-old wife Lucita Barquin Cortez and their 30-year-old Filipina daughter-in-law Mary Jane Cortez were all murdered.
Now Mrs. Cortez’s son is in hiding, fearing for his own safety after the triple tragedy.
The killer was captured on CCTV entering Room 103 of the Lakes Hotel in Tagaytay, south of Manila, around 1am. He sneaked out around 6am after the brutal attack on July 10.
The three were found dead by staff later that day, with their hands and feet bound with electrical cords and shoelaces, and their mouths sealed shut with packing tape.
According to Philippine police, an autopsy report revealed that the two women died of asphyxiation, while Fisk suffered a wound to his neck.
Lucita’s son, who has four children with his wife Mary Jane Cortez and whose initials are RCJ, has withdrawn under an assumed name as police continue their investigation.
Autopsies on David Fisk, 57, and his wife Lucita Barquin Cortez, 55, revealed he suffered a wound to his neck while she was suffocated with her daughter-in-law
RCJ and his wife Mary Jane, who was found suffocated along with his mother and stepfather last week at the Lake Hotel in Tagatay City, south of Manila
The male suspect captured on camera footage is between 162 and 167 cm tall and has a normal build.
It later turned out that a security guard saw the suspect enter the hotel and asked him where he was going. The man replied that he was going to room 103.
He was wearing a black hoodie, maroon shorts, Adidas sneakers and an Adidas backpack.
The murder scene was discovered on Wednesday when hotel employee Allan Manza was sent to the room at 12:30 a.m. to remind the Aussies of their check-out time. He made the gruesome discovery.
RCJ, who lives in Calapan City, a four-hour drive from Oriental Mindoro, said David and Lucita arrived in Tagaytay on July 8, at the end of their annual vacation to the Philippines.
The Lake Hotel offers spectacular views of the volcanic caldera of Lake Taal. The couple hired a minibus with a driver to explore the area with some Filipino family members.
After taking pictures and finishing the ride, the rest of the family left. Mr. Fisk, Mrs. Cortez, and Mary Jane stayed behind at the hotel for the evening.
According to police, property may have been stolen, but it is believed that other valuables and mobile phones are also in the room.
RCJ, who has four children with Mary Jane ranging in age from four to 12, spoke to police before signing the body release forms for the three bodies of his family members.
He has since returned to Oriental Mindoro, where police are focused on identifying the “person of interest” seen in the CCTV footage.
Mary Jane Cortez’s husband, pictured with their children, has begged the attacker of his wife, mother and stepfather to turn himself in after the brutal murders
RCJ’s husband was forced to sign release forms for the three bodies (above) after autopsies were performed to determine the cause of the brutal murders
David Fisk and Lucita Cortez were nearing the end of their annual vacation in the Philippines when they toured Taal Lake and then spent the night at the hotel (above) where they were murdered.
Police have set up a special task force that is now investigating the possibility that there are two suspects in the murder case.
One of Lucita Cortez’s relatives in Australia, Raquel Cortez, posted on Facebook: ‘Justice for you Lucy, David and Ejane. I will miss our wanderings.’
The Philippine Embassy in Canberra condemned the brutal killings and expressed its deepest condolences to the families of the victims.
“The Philippine government condemns in the strongest terms the cowardly and senseless act that separated the couple from their loved ones,” the embassy said in a statement.
“We stand in solidarity with the Australian government and will work together to bring the perpetrator to justice.”
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