Police have discovered that a third woman may have been involved in the gruesome deaths of an Australian couple who were slaughtered in the Philippines.
Cleaning personnel at the Lake Hotel in Tagaytay city, south of Manila, discovered David Fisk, 57, and his de facto partner Lucita Cortez, 55, dead in a room with their hands and feet tied on Wednesday at 1:35 p.m.
The body of a third woman, Mary Jane Cortez, Cortez’s 30-year-old daughter-in-law, was discovered close to them.
Police in the area are searching for a man who was seen on camera disguising his face and using a key card to enter a hotel room early in the morning.
It is thought that Mary may be connected to the murderer. According to Jean Alagos of Tagaytay Police, “We are looking at that option, that issue.”
The Associated Press was informed by Tagaytay police chief Charles Daven Capagcuan that Fisk may have died from a knife wound to his throat and that the Cortez women might have drowned from a pillow.
According to him, ongoing autopsy would confirm those preliminary findings.
In a statement, Fiếsk’s family, who are located in the Sutherland Shire of New South Wales, said they “pray for answers and the truth in this horrific matter”.
“The love we have for our father and Lucita is so dear and this situation is like living a nightmare,” remarked the family.
They requested that their privacy be upheld.
The motivation for the murders, according to Capagcuan, was not immediately evident.
He also mentioned that the suspect did not remove some of the victims’ possessions, such as their cell phones.
Abraham Tolentino, the mayor of Tagaytay, expressed his horror at the occurrence and his regret to the victims’ families.
“We sincerely apologise to our friends in Australia. We’ll find a quick solution to this.”
Tolentino stated, without providing more details, that investigators were speaking with witnesses and looking through hotel security footage in an effort to identify the culprit or suspects.
A few hours before the victims’ deaths were found, according to Capagcuan, a man walking out of their room with a sling bag and wearing a mask and hoodie was seen on security camera footage that the investigators were watching and asking witnesses about.
The Australian pair, according to a Filipino relative who spoke to the AP, took a plane from Sydney to Bali, an Indonesian resort island, for a vacation before arriving in the Philippines on Monday to see her two children from a previous marriage.
The Australian pair was scheduled to return to Sydney via plane on July 13.
About 60 kilometres south of Manila, Tagaytay is a well-liked destination for both domestic and international travellers due to its moderate climate and the opportunity to see one of the smallest active volcanoes in the world, which is perched in the centre of a lake.
Tolentino informed the AP that the two ladies will be buried in the Philippines per their family’ wishes, and that the Australian man’s bones would be transported back to Sydney.
He added the women’s burial and funeral expenses would be covered by the government.
A representative for the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade conveyed condolences to the families of the two Australians and said the agency was offering consular support to them.
According to the representative, “because of our privacy obligations,” no other information was given.
