EXCLUSIVE
An Australian husband and wife who were allegedly murdered at a luxury hotel in the Philippines alongside a relative have been identified – as grisly new details have emerged about their deaths.
The Australian husband, his Filipino-born wife and their daughter-in-law were found dead inside their hotel room at The Lake Hotel, at Tagaytay in Cavite province, southwest of the Philippines capital of Manila, on Wednesday.
Local police have identified the victims as Australian national David James Fisk, 57, his wife Lucita Barquin Cortez, 55, a Philippine-born Australian citizen, who lived in Hurstville, Sydney, and Mary Jane Cortez, 30, from Oriental Mindoro.
It has been reported that the younger woman is Ms Cortez’s daughter-in-law.
Detectives have launched a manhunt for a male suspect wearing a mask, a black hoodie, maroon shorts and sneakers while carrying a rucksack who was captured on CCTV leaving the victims’ room.
The victims’ lifeless bodies were discovered when a male hotel staff member visited their room to remind them of their check-out time.
He found them face down, with their hands and feet bound by electrical cord and shoeless, while their mouths were sealed shut with packaging tape, reported Rappler.
Police have identified the victims as Australian national David James Fisk, 57, his Philippine-born Australian wife Lucita Barquin Cortez, 55, (pictured together above) and Mary Jane Cortez, 30, (below), who is reportedly Ms Cortez’s daughter-in-law
The victims’ cause of death is currently unknown.
A hotel security guard reportedly saw the suspect at about 6am on the morning the three victims were found.
When questioned, the suspect apparently claimed he was checked in at the victims’ room.
Police have spent the last two days at the hotel interviewing witnesses and examining security cameras.
Detectives have launched a manhunt for a male suspect wearing a black hoodie, maroon shorts and sneakers who was captured on CCTV
Hotel security reportedly saw the suspect about 6am on the morning the three victims were found. When questioned, he apparently claimed he was checked in at the victims’ room
Local police chief Charles Daven Capagcuan said that a motive for the killings was not known and that valuables such as the victims’ phones, were not taken.
The local mayor, Abraham Tolentino, was horrified to learn of the alleged murders.
‘We were shocked that there was an incident like this in Tagaytay… it’s been a long time since there was an incident like this,’ he told ABS News.
‘We’re very sorry to our Australian friends.’
‘There really is nothing like this.’
The victims had been staying at the luxurious The Lake Hotel (pictured) at Tagaytay in Cavite province, south-west of the Philippines capital of Manila
Mr Fisk is pictured with his wife Ms Cortez
Ms Cortex and her daughter-in-law Mary Jane, the third victim
All three victims were remembered as ‘beautiful souls’ in a heartbreaking social media tribute posted on Thursday.
It’s believed the Australian couple were due to fly back home to Australia on the day they were killed, but chose to extend their trip at the last minute.
A Filipino relative of Ms Cortez told the Associated Press the couple flew from Sydney to Bali, before visiting the Philippines so she could see two children from a previous marriage.
Mr Fisk is believed to have two daughters of his own, one of whom is reportedly weeks away from getting married.
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said it was aware of the deaths and was providing consular assistance to those affected but would not provide details of their identities due to privacy reasons.
‘We send our condolences to the families at this difficult time,’ a spokesperson added.
The Lake Hotel Tagaytay ‘boasts a majestic panorama of the world-famous Taal Lake and volcano’ and is a 90 minute drive from Manila.
