Australian husband and wife found dead at The Lake Hotel in the Philippines

A new detail has been revealed after an Australian husband and wife were found dead at a luxurious hotel in the Philippines.

The horrific deaths of an Australian couple murdered at a luxury hotel in the Philippines could be linked to a third woman, police have confirmed.

Australian David James Fisk, 57, his wife Lucita Barquin Cortez, 55, a Philippine-born Australian citizen were staying at The Lake Hotel, at Tagaytay in Cavite province, southwest of the Philippines capital of Manila.

A third person, reported to be Ms Cortez’s daughter-in-law Mary Jane Cortez, 30, was found with the couple is understood to be Filipino.

A hotel worker found the bodies of the victims on Wednesday, with a police statement reporting all three were found with their hands and feet bound and packaging tape covering their mouths.

Local police are looking for a man captured on CCTV, who was seen wearing a black hoodie and hiding his face as he entered a hotel room earlier in the morning.

Local police officer Jean Alagos told 9News the killer may be linked to Mary Jane Cortez.

David James Fisk, 57, and his wife Lucita Barquin Cortez were found dead in a hotel room in the Philippines

Tagaytay police chief Charles Daven Capagcuan told The Associated Press Mr Fisk’s throat had been slit, while the women may have been suffocated with a pillow.

The family of the murdered couple broke their silence earlier on Friday and described the situation as a “living nightmare”.

Mr Fisk’s family released a statement on Friday morning, sharing their grief and pleading for answers.

“The love we have for our Father and Lucita is so dear and this situation is like living a nightmare,” the statement read.

“We pray for answers and the truth in this horrific matter and just pray for their safe return to Australian shores.”

“David’s daughters, local known and loved residents in the Sutherland Shire, ask on behalf of their family that the media respect our privacy in this incredibly difficult and tragic time and we will be making no further comment.”

Mary Jane Cortez, 30, was also killed in the room, police say.

Police are interviewing witnesses and examining security footage from the hotel, and are looking to speak to a man seen on CCTV wearing a mask, a black hoodie and maroon shorts who walked out of the victims’ room carrying a bag a few hours before they were found.

A statement from the Tagaytay Cavite Police Provincial Office said the station’s tracker team had been activated, with searches being conducted at “all possible exit points within Tagaytay and nearby provinces to apprehend and identify the suspect”.

Local Mayor Abraham Tolentino apologised to Australia and has promised the incident will be resolved “as soon as possible”.

“We were shocked by this incident,” he told local media.

“We’re very sorry to our Australian friends.”

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFAT) confirmed they were providing consular assistance to the families of the two Australians killed.

Police have launched a manhunt after CCTV revealed a man had left the couple’s room just a few hours before their bodies were found. Picture: Cavite Provincial Police Offic

The Lake Hotel in Tagaytay, located in Cavite province, southwest of Manila, the capital of the Philippines. Supplied

“We send our condolences to the families at this difficult time,” a DFAT spokeswoman said.

“Owing to our privacy obligations we are unable to provide further comment.”

It is understood the Australian couple were due to fly back to Australia on the day they were killed, but decided to extend their trip at the last minute.

Mr Fisk’s body will be repatriated to Sydney, while both women will be buried in the Philippines, with the government to pay for their funeral and burial.

The luxurious hotel the couple were found at boasts a panoramic views of the world-famous Taal Lake and volcano.

Founded in 2008, Lake Hotel Tagaytay is a 90 minute drive from Manila.

Originally published as Australian husband and wife found dead at The Lake Hotel in the Philippines