Kiwi dad and wife found dead in Spanish holiday home hot tub
Spanish investigators are examining how a New Zealand man and his Irish wife came to both die after the couple were found lifeless in a hot tub at a holiday rental.
Patrick Tobin and his Irish wife, Tomasina McArdle, were found in the seaside resort of Cullera, about 40km south of Valencia, according to the Irish outlet the Journal.
The couple’s two teenage children found the bodies and went to the owner of the property for help, who then rang the police, Spanish newspaper Las Provincias reported.
Early local media reports said the circumstances initially prompted police to investigate whether the deaths involved a criminal act. However, Spanish authorities have since indicated foul play is not suspected, with an accident now reported to be the leading line of inquiry.
Las Provincias has reported that investigators collected water samples from a hot tub at the property for laboratory testing as part of efforts to determine what happened.
The newspaper reported officers were examining whether the couple may have been involved in an accident while using the spa.
The Civil Guard initially identified both victims as Irish nationals, but later clarified that McArdle was Irish while Tobin was a New Zealand citizen.
Spanish media reported Tobin had lived in the United Kingdom for about 26 years and did not hold an Irish passport.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade confirmed it was aware of a New Zealander’s death in Spain, while consular officials were assisting family members in New Zealand and the United Kingdom, the Journal reported.
The bodies were taken to Valencia’s Institute of Legal Medicine for post-mortem examinations.
The couple’s children, aged 14 and 16, received support from social workers, psychologists and Red Cross emergency response staff after the discovery, Las Provincias reported.
It said an uncle of the children travelled to Spain from Ireland, where they were reunited in the hours following the tragedy.
Neighbours in the upmarket Cap Blanc residential area reportedly expressed shock at the deaths as forensic specialists and homicide investigators carried out inquiries at the property.
Authorities are continuing to investigate the circumstances surrounding the deaths, with post-mortem examinations expected to play a key role in establishing how the couple died.
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