The daughter of a murdered businessman in the Philippines is to be married in five weeks, while her family says she is “living a nightmare”.
Australian David James Fisk, 57, and his wife Lucita Barquin Cortez, 55, an Australian citizen born in the Philippines, were found dead at The Lake Hotel in Tagaytay in Cavite province, southwest of the Philippine capital Manila on Wednesday.
Also found next to the couple was the body of Mary Jane Cortez, 30, a Filipino citizen believed to be Cortez’s daughter-in-law.
Daily Mail Australia can reveal the tragedy comes as Fisk’s daughter Lacinda is set to marry her husband-to-be in August.
Just three weeks ago, Lacinda, 27, celebrated her hen weekend with family and friends in Gerringong on the New South Wales south coast, drinking cocktails, eating pizza, doing yoga and walking along the beach.
“Take me back to the weekend that was!” she wrote on Instagram.
“I’m still amazed at the love that surrounded me and the fact that everyone was so willing to spend their long weekend with me celebrating the good things to come. I feel truly blessed.
‘I can’t wait to hit the dance floor with you all in just nine weeks!’
Pictured: Australian citizen David James Fisk, 57, and his Philippine-born Australian wife Lucita Barquin Cortez, 55.
Lucita Cortez and David Fisk (left) were brutally murdered in the Philippines just weeks before they were to celebrate the wedding of their daughter Lacinda (in white) to her fiancé David Mullington (center) with Lacinda’s twin sister Brittany (right).
Lacinda Fisk, 27, is getting married in the coming weeks.
On Friday morning, Mr. Fisk’s family released a statement sharing their grief and calling 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 about this horrific matter and we simply pray for their safe return to Australian shores.”
‘David’s daughters, well-known and much-loved local residents in the Sutherland Shire, ask on behalf of his family that the media respect our privacy at this incredibly difficult and tragic time and we will not be making any further comment.’
The family has created a GoFundMe to help “gain support in obtaining justice for all loved ones involved” and will be used to “help alleviate the financial stress and burden that will arise from this incredibly difficult time.”
A long-time neighbour of Mr Fisk and Ms Barquin Cortez told the Daily Mail Australia on Friday that the couple were “very, very nice”.
He said he last saw them about two weeks ago, when they were heading to the airport for their holiday abroad.
“They were very excited to go to the Philippines,” he said.
“I’m so shocked. It’s so sad.
“I can’t believe they’re no longer alive”
A long-time neighbour of David Fisk and Lucita Barquin Cortez (pictured) spoke fondly to Daily Mail Australia on Friday about the couple.
Mrs. Cortez and her daughter-in-law Mary Jane, the third victim
A hotel worker found the victims’ bodies on Wednesday after they failed to leave their hotel room.
Local police revealed that the three were found with their hands and feet tied and packing tape covering their mouths.
Tagaytay Police Chief Charles Daven Capagcuan told The Associated Press that Fisk’s throat had been slit, while the women may have been suffocated with a pillow.
Ms Cortez’s son, speaking under the alias “Brian”, told local media that his mother arrived in the Philippines on July 8 and met the couple at the airport.
He said his wife, Mary Jane, was supposed to return to her home province of Mindoro, but her mother took her to stay with the couple in Tagaytay.
“(She said) I’m going to take her… don’t send her home, I’m going to take her and she just came here to Tagaytay.”
He said he last spoke to his wife on Monday night and that Mary Jane told him “good night, I love you.” He said he tried to reach them in the following days, but when they didn’t respond, he contacted police.
Police are interviewing witnesses and examining hotel security footage, and are seeking to speak to a man seen on CCTV wearing a mask, a black hoodie and maroon shorts who left the victims’ room with a bag a few hours before they were found.
A statement from the Tagaytay Cavite Provincial Police Office said the station’s tracking team had been activated and searches were being conducted at “all possible exit points within Tagaytay and nearby provinces to apprehend and identify the suspect.”
Local mayor Abraham Tolentino apologized to Australia and promised the incident would be resolved “as soon as possible.”
“We were shocked by this incident,” he told local media.
David Fisk is pictured with his twin daughters, Lacinda and Brittany.
The Lake Hotel in Tagaytay is located in the province of Cavite, southwest of Manila, the capital of the Philippines.
“We feel very sorry for our Australian friends.”
The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFAT) confirmed it was providing consular assistance to the families of the two murdered Australians.
“We send our condolences to the families at this difficult time,” a DFAT spokeswoman said.
‘Due to our privacy obligations we are unable to provide further comment.’
The Australian couple were reportedly due to return 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 paying for their funeral and burial.
The luxurious hotel the couple stayed at boasts panoramic views of the world-famous Taal Lake and the volcano.
Opened in 2008, the four-star Lake Hotel Tagaytay, priced at $356 per night, is a 90-minute drive from Manila.
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