A two-week holiday has turned into tragedy for an Australian couple as their families seek answers over a triple murder in a luxury Philippines hotel. The bodies of David James Fisk, 57, his wife Lucita Barquin Cortez, 55, and her Filipina friend were found at the Lake Hotel in Tagaytay, a popular resort city south of the capital Manila. Their hands and feet were tied and packing tape covered their mouths, police said.
The couple’s family said they were praying for more information about their loved ones after police launched a manhunt following the grim discovery on Thursday. “The love we have for our father and Lucita is so dear and this situation is like living a nightmare,” the family said in a statement on Friday. “We pray for answers and the truth in this horrific matter and just pray for their safe return to Australian shores.
” The couple had travelled to Asia for two weeks, beginning the holiday in Bali before heading to the Philippines to see Ms Cortez’s family and friends. The pair planned to return to Sydney on Saturday. Tagaytay police are trying to identify and track down the suspects.
Police chief Charles Daven Capagcuan said one of the leads was CCTV footage of a masked, hooded man carrying a sling bag walking out of the victims’ room a few hours before their bodies were discovered. He said a motive for the killings was unknown and some valuables, including the victims’ phones, were not taken. Investigators are interviewing witnesses and examini.