EXCLUSIVE David Fisk was due to walk his daughter down the aisle next month. Now she's organising his funeral after he was brutally murdered with his new wife in the Philippines Australian couple allegedly murdered in the Philippines His family have broken their silence READ MORE: Grisly new details emerge after Australian couple and their daughter-in-law are found dead in a hotel in the Philippines By Tita Smith For Daily Mail Australia and Aisling Brennan And Hannah Moore For Newswire Published: 22:39 EDT, 11 July 2024 | Updated: 22:55 EDT, 11 July 2024 e-mail View comments The daughter of an entrepreneur who was murdered in the Philippines is due to marry in five weeks time - as the family say they are 'living a nightmare'. Australian David James Fisk, 57, his wife Lucita Barquin Cortez, 55, a Philippine-born Australian citizen, were found dead at The Lake Hotel, at Tagaytay in Cavite province, southwest of the Philippines capital of Manila, on Wednesday.
The body of Mary Jane Cortez, 30, a Filipino national who is understood to be Ms Cortez's daughter-in-law, was also discovered alongside the couple. Daily Mail Australia can reveal the tragedy comes as Mr Fisk's daughter Lacinda is due to wed her husband-to-be in August. Just three weeks ago, Lacinda, 27, celebrated her bachelorette weekend with family and friends in Gerringong, on the NSW south coast - drinking cocktails, eating pizza, doing yoga, and going for beach walks.
'Take me back to the weekend that was!' she wrote on Instagram . 'I am still blown away by the love I was surrounded with and the fact that everyone was so willing to spend their long weekend away with me celebrating the good things to come. I am truly blessed.
'Cannot wait to hit the dance floor with y'all in just nine weeks time!' Pictured: Australian national David James Fisk, 57, his Philippine-born Australian wife Lucita Barquin Cortez, 55, Lucita Cortez and David Fisk (left) were brutally murdered in the Philippines, just weeks before they were due to celebrate the wedding of daughter Lacinda (in white) to her fiancé David Mullington (centre) with Lacinda's twin sister Brittany (right) Lacinda Fisk, 27, is due to wed in coming weeks On Friday morning, Mr Fisk's family released a statement, sharing their grief and pleading for answers. '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.' The family have set up a GoFundMe to assist with 'support getting justice for all loved ones involved' and will be used to 'help ease the financial stress and burden that will arise from this incredibly difficult time'. A longtime neighbour of Mr Fisk and Ms Barquin Cortez told Daily Mail Australia on Friday the couple were 'very, very nice'.
She said she last saw them about two weeks ago, as they were leaving to go to the airport for their overseas holiday. 'They were very happy they were going to the Philippines,' she said. 'I am so shocked.
It's so sad. 'I cannot believe they are no longer [alive].' A longtime neighbour of David Fisk and Lucita Barquin Cortez (pictured) spoke fondly to Daily Mail Australia on Friday about the couple Ms Cortez and her daughter-in-law Mary Jane, the third victim A hotel worker found the bodies of the victims on Wednesday after they failed to check out of their hotel room.
Local police have revealed all three were found with their hands and feet bound and packaging tape covering their mouths. Tagaytay police chief Charles Daven Capagcuan told The Associated Press Mr Fisk's throat had been slit, while the women may have been suffocated with a pillow. Ms Cortez's son, speaking under the alias 'Brian' told local media his mother arrived in the Philippines on July 8 and he met the couple at the airport.
He said his wife, Mary Jane, was meant to return to their home province, Mindoro, but his mother instead took her to stay with the couple Tagaytay. '[She said] I'm going to take [her]..
. don't send her home, I'm going to take her and she just came here to Tagaytay.' He said last spoke to his wife on Monday night, with Mary Jane telling him 'goodnight I love you'.
He said he tried to contact them in the following days, but when they did not respond, he contacted police. Police are interviewing witnesses and examining security footage from the hotel, and are looking to speak to a man seen on CCTV wearing a mask, a black hoodie and maroon shorts who walked out of the victims' room carrying a bag a few hours before they were found. A statement from the Tagaytay Cavite Police Provincial Office said the station's tracker team had been activated, with searches being conducted at 'all possible exit points within Tagaytay and nearby provinces to apprehend and identify the suspect'.
Local Mayor Abraham Tolentino apologised to Australia and has promised the incident will be resolved 'as soon as possible'. 'We were shocked by this incident,' he told local media. David Fisk is pictured with his twin daughters, Lacinda and Brittany The Lake Hotel in Tagaytay, is located in Cavite province, southwest of Manila, the capital of the Philippines 'We're very sorry to our Australian friends.
' The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFAT) confirmed they were providing consular assistance to the families of the two Australians killed. 'We send our condolences to the families at this difficult time,' a DFAT spokeswoman said. 'Owing to our privacy obligations we are unable to provide further comment.
' It is understood the Australian couple were due to fly back to Australia on the day they were killed, but decided to extend their trip at the last minute. Mr Fisk's body will be repatriated to Sydney, while both women will be buried in the Philippines, with the government to pay for their funeral and burial. The luxurious hotel the couple were found at boasts panoramic views of the world-famous Taal Lake and volcano.
Opened in 2008, the four-star, $356-a-night Lake Hotel Tagaytay is a 90 minute drive from Manila. Read More BREAKING NEWS Two Australians are found dead - believed to be murdered - at luxury hotel in the Philippines Share or comment on this article: David Fisk was due to walk his daughter down the aisle next month. Now she's organising his funeral after he was brutally murdered with his new wife in the Philippines e-mail Add comment.
