Philippines probing suspected killing of Australian couple, Filipino in hotel

CAVITE PROVINCE, Philippines — Philippines police are investigating a suspected murder of an Australian couple and their Filipino relative who were staying at a hotel in a tourist spot south of the capital Manila, a senior police official said on Friday (July 12).

Hotel staff found David Fisk, 57, his Filipino-born Australian citizen wife Lucita Cortez, 55, and her relative Mary Jane Cortez, 30, face down with their hands and feet tied and faces covered in packaging tape on Wednesday, Tagaytay city police chief Charles Capagcuan said.

"We saw the male had a wound in his neck and his blood was all over the floor," Capagcuan told Reuters. The two dead women had no wounds, aside from a few bruises, he said, and the three bodies had been brought to a funeral home for an autopsy.

The victims were staying at The Lake Hotel in Tagaytay city in Cavite province, 65 km south of Manila. Tagaytay is a popular tourist destination known for its cooler, high-altitude climate and scenic view of a small, active volcano.

"We are already coordinating with the families of the victims," Capagcuan said, adding that violent crimes including murder in the region were rare and that the hotel incident was an isolated case.

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