Spanish police believe London-based mother Thomasina Tobin died while trying to rescue her husband after he became trapped underwater in a spa at a luxury villa near Valencia.
Mrs Tobin, 51, and her husband Patrick were found dead in the hot tub at the rented property in Cullera on Tuesday, August 25. Their teenage children raised the alarm after discovering the couple.
Investigators from the Civil Guard’s homicide unit are understood to be treating the deaths as a likely accident, although inquiries remain under way and the full post-mortem findings have not been released.
The leading theory is that Mr Tobin became caught by the spa’s suction system. Mrs Tobin may then have entered the water or attempted to free him, suffering a fatal medical emergency in the process.
Police have examined the hot tub, including its suction and drainage mechanisms, and have taken water samples for testing. Toxicology results are expected to help establish precisely what happened.
There has been no indication of forced entry or violence at the villa, and reports from Spain and Ireland said investigators had found no evidence of third-party involvement.
Mrs Tobin, who was originally from Castleblayney in County Monaghan, had lived and worked in London for around two decades. She was a senior executive in the construction and project-management sector.
