A couple who died in a jacuzzi while on holiday in Spain were found by their two teenage sons, it has emerged. Thomasina Tobin, 51, died while trying to save her husband Patrick, 48, after he became stuck underwater at a spa in a luxury villa.
Children found parents near hot tub
The couple were found by their two sons, aged 14 and 16, at around 5pm on Tuesday in the gated Colina del Sol complex near Valencia, where the family were holidaying. The boys searched the villa for their parents before finding them close to the hot tub on the lowest floor and raising the alarm with a neighbour.
Mrs Tobin was a quantity surveyor originally from Castleblayney in Co Monaghan, Ireland. Patrick was from New Zealand. They had lived and worked in London for several years and were holidaying in Cullera when the accident happened.
Suction entrapment theory probed
Spanish investigators believe the pair were victims of suction entrapment, which occurs when a powerful vacuum pull from a hot tub drain or swimming pool traps a person's body, hair or clothing underwater.
Police examined the jacuzzi for the third time with an industrial expert on hot tubs. The expert joined the Guardia Civil team at the request of an investigating magistrate, as judges lead such probes in Spain. The expert was tasked with analysing the power of the suction fittings in the jacuzzi to see if they trapped one or both of the victims.
Autopsy findings point to accidental entrapment
A Valencian newspaper reported investigators are probing a theory that the tub's hydromassage system caused a strong suction effect that suddenly trapped the couple in the water. It says investigators believe they then fought desperately to save themselves.
Las Provincias says the post-mortems showed scratches on the bodies stemmed from the couple trying to save each other. It added: "The autopsy findings almost definitively reinforce the theory of accidental entrapment."
It was reported suction marks were found on the couple by authorities, but were more pronounced on Mr Tobin – leading investigators to believe he was pulled under the water first and his wife desperately tried to save him.
Reports say post-mortems show the couple suffered fatal heart stoppages when they became trapped in the hot tub at the villa near Valencia. One theory is that both cardiac arrests were brought on by physical exhaustion in the struggle to save themselves. Las Provincias reported: "Preliminary analyses indicate the victims suffered cardiac arrest brought on by acute stress following physical exhaustion and the desperation of the moment."
