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Philippines police are investigating a suspected murder of an Australian couple and their Filipino relative who were staying at a hotel in a tourist spot south of the capital Manila, a senior police official said on Friday (July 12).
Hotel staff found David Fisk, 57, his Filipino-born Australian citizen wife Lucita Cortez, 55, and her relative Mary Jane Cortez, 30, face down with their hands and feet tied and faces covered in packaging tape on Wednesday, Tagaytay city police chief Charles Capagcuan said.
"We saw the male had a wound in his neck and his blood was all over the floor," Capagcuan said. The two dead women had no wounds, aside from a few bruises, he said, and the three bodies had been brought to a funeral home for an autopsy.
The victims were staying at The Lake Hotel in Tagaytay city in Cavite province, 65 km south of Manila. Tagaytay is a popular tourist destination known for its cooler, high-altitude climate and scenic view of a small, active volcano.
"We are already coordinating with the families of the victims," Capagcuan said, adding that violent crimes including murder in the region were rare and that the hotel incident was an isolated case.
Mr Fisk’s family released a statement on Friday, sharing their grief and pleading for answers.
Mary Jane Cortez, 30, was also killed.
“The love we have for our Father and Lucita is so dear and this situation is like living a nightmare,” the statement read.
“We pray for answers and the truth in this horrific matter and just pray for their safe return to Australian shores.”
“David’s daughters, local known and loved residents in the Sutherland Shire, ask on behalf of their family that the media respect our privacy in this incredibly difficult and tragic time and we will be making no further comment.”
Source: Reuters
