The murderer of an Australian couple and their daughter-in-law spent five hours in their Philippine hotel room after gaining entry in the middle of the night using a swipe card.
Police are now trying to establish what happened inside the murder room during the mysterious hours before the victims were found dead by hotel staff.
Sydney businessman David Fisk, 57, his wife Lucita Barquin Cortez, 55, and their Filipino daughter-in-law Mary Jane Cortez, 30, were killed.
Ms Cortez’s son has now gone into hiding out of fear for his own safety following the triple tragedy.
The killer was caught on security cameras entering room 103 of the Lakes Hotel in Tagaytay, south of Manila, at around 1am, before slipping away after the brutal attack at around 6am on July 10.
All three were found dead by staff later that day, their hands and feet bound with electrical cords and shoelaces, and their mouths gagged with packing tape.
Philippine police said an autopsy report revealed the two women died of asphyxiation, while Fisk had a wound to the neck.
Lucita’s son, who has four children with his wife Mary Jane Cortez and whose initials are RCJ, has retired under an assumed name while police continue their investigations.
Autopsies performed on David Fisk, 57, and his wife Lucita Barquin Cortez, 55, revealed that he had suffered a neck wound while she had been suffocated with her daughter-in-law.
RCJ and his wife Mary Jane, who was found suffocated along with her mother and stepfather at the Lake Hotel in Tagatay City, south of Manila, last week.
The male suspect captured on security cameras is described as being between 5’4 and 5’6 (162-167 cm) tall and of medium build.
It was later revealed that a security guard saw the suspect enter the hotel and asked him where he was going, and the man replied that he was going to room 103.
He was wearing a black sweatshirt, maroon shorts, Adidas sneakers and was carrying an Adidas backpack.
The crime scene was discovered on Wednesday when hotel worker Allan Manza was sent to the room at 12.30 to remind the Australians of their check-out time. It was he who made the gruesome discovery.
RCJ, who lives in Calapan City in Oriental Mindoro, a four-hour drive away, said David and Lucita had arrived in Tagaytay on July 8 at the end of their annual vacation in the Philippines.
The Lake Hotel has spectacular views of the volcanic caldera of Lake Taal, and the couple rented a minivan with driver to tour the area with several Filipino relatives.
After taking pictures and completing the tour, the remaining family members departed, leaving Mr. Fisk, Mrs. Cortez, and Mary Jane at the hotel for the night.
Police said some belongings may have been stolen, but other valuables and mobile phones are believed to still be in the room.
RCJ, who has four children aged between four and 12 with Mary Jane, spoke to police before signing morgue release forms for his relatives’ three bodies.
He has now returned to Oriental Mindoro as police focus on identifying the “person of interest” seen in the CCTV footage.
Mary Jane Cortez’s husband, pictured with their children, has called for his wife, mother and stepfather’s attacker to turn himself in following the brutal murders.
RCJ’s husband had to sign release forms for all three bodies (above) once autopsies were performed to establish the cause of the brutal murders.
David Fisk and Lucita Cortez were nearing the end of their annual vacation in the Philippines when they toured Taal Lake and then spent the night at the hotel (above) where they were killed.
Police have formed a special task force and are now investigating the possibility that there are two suspects in the murders.
Raquel Cortez, a relative of Lucita Cortez in Australia, posted on Facebook: “Justice for you Lucy, David and Ejane. I will miss our travels.”
The Philippine Embassy in Canberra condemned the brutal killings and extended its deepest condolences to the families of the victims.
“The Philippine government condemns in the strongest terms the cowardly and senseless act that separated the couple from their loved ones,” the embassy said in a statement.
“We stand in solidarity with the Australian Government in our joint efforts to bring the perpetrator to justice.”
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