Parents found dead in hot tub by their children as tragic details are released
The results of the postmortems following the deaths of Thomasina and Patrick Tobin have been revealed after the couple were found dead in a hot tub on vacation.
Thomaisa and her husband Patrick, who hailed from Ireland but lived in London, were staying in the luxury Cap Blanc area, located around 25 miles south of Valencia, Spain, on a two-week vacation.
The couple were discovered dead in a hot tub by their teenage children.
The civil guard in Valencia said (as per Metro Online): "The bodies of a man aged 50 and a woman aged 45 were found yesterday at a residential property in the municipality of Cullera. Both were Irish."
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Police initially brought in homicide detectives to see if any foul play was involved.
Now a postmortem has found that both Thomasina and Patrick suffered fatal heart stoppages.
There have been questions raised about whether they experienced a heart attack after becoming trapped in the hot tub. One theory is that they experienced physical exhaustion while trying to escape the hot tub, which sparked their respective heart attacks, BelfastLive reports.
Another suggestion is that either Thomasina or Patrick were electrocuted and their partner died while trying to resue them.
"According to the first investigations, the excessive suction force would have imprisoned the couple inside the bathtub, which triggered a situation of extreme anguish and desperate physical effort to free themselves from the hydraulic grip," Spanish newspaper Las Provincias explained. Reportedly hot tub industry experts joined the Guardia Civil team to examine the scene.
"The autopsy findings almost definitively reinforce the theory of accidental entrapment," it continued.
"Preliminary analyses indicate that the victims suffered cardiac arrest brought on by acute stress following physical exhaustion and the desperation of the moment."
Scratches were found on their bodies, but this wasn't from third party involvement. Instead they're believed to be from trying to save one another.
Apparently the Department of Foreign Affairs in the UK is aware of the Thomasina and Patrick's passings.
"The Department is aware of this case and is providing consular assistance in the case of the Irish citizen concerned," a spokesperson told the Irish Mirror.
"As with all consular cases, the Department does not comment on the details of individual cases."
Thomasina is reportedly from a well-known family from Castleblayne in County Monaghan, Republic of Ireland.
Her father, Tommy McArdle, is a well-known playwright, actor, and producer. He spent several years directing the popular Irish soap opera Glenroe.
If you have experienced a bereavement and would like to speak with someone in confidence, contact GrieveWell on (734) 975-0238, or email [email protected].
Niamh Shackleton