Spanish police are investigating the deaths of a London couple, Thomasina Tobin, 51, and Patrick Tobin, 48, who were found dead in a hot tub at their holiday villa in Colina del Sol, Valencia. Investigators believe the couple may have fallen victim to suction entrapment, a phenomenon where a powerful vacuum from a hot tub or pool drain can trap a person underwater.
Autopsy reports have ruled out foul play, and no signs of forced entry or suspicious activity were detected on nearby CCTV. Police noted marks and scratches on both bodies, along with blood in the hot tub water and a strong chemical odor. Authorities suspect Mr. Tobin was trapped by the suction first, and his wife died attempting to rescue him. The discovery was made by their two teenage sons, aged 14 and 16, who alerted a neighbor.
The couple, who had lived and worked in London for several years, were staying at the Cap Blanc residential estate in Cullera when the incident occurred on Tuesday. Both bodies were found partially outside the hot tub, which investigators suggest indicates Ms. Tobin may have managed to free her husband at some point. The possibility of electrocution was also examined and ruled out.
Ms. Tobin worked as a quantity surveyor in the high-end hotels industry for Turner and Townsend in London for five and a half years. She had a 30-year career in the UK after graduating from Trinity College Dublin, previously running her own firm and working on luxury sites like The Ritz. Her father was Tommy McArdle, a former director for RTÉ and goalkeeper for the Monaghan senior county football team.
Mr. Tobin is understood to have worked in the tech industry in London. Relatives of Ms. Tobin traveled to Spain to support the couple's sons, who are reportedly traumatized. Consular assistance is being provided by the Department of Foreign Affairs, and New Zealand's Ministry of Foreign Affairs is assisting Mr. Tobin's relatives.