Spanish Police Rule Out Murder In Tragic Hot Tub Deaths

Spanish police now believe a tragic accident led to the deaths of a London-based couple found beside a hot tub in Cullera on Tuesday. Authorities think one person tried to help the other after an incident occurred. The victims were Thomasina McArdle, 51, from Co Monaghan, and her husband Patrick Tobin, 45, who hailed from New Zealand. Both had lived and worked in London for years before staying at this luxury villa on Spain's east coast.

Their two teenage sons, aged 14 and 16, discovered the bodies around 5pm Tuesday afternoon. The boys have special needs and searched the property before finding their parents dead near the jacuzzi on the lowest floor. They immediately raised the alarm with a neighbour. Post-mortem exams ruled out foul play, and investigators found no signs of forced entry or suspicious activity on nearby CCTV cameras.

Police noted marks and scratches on both bodies alongside blood in the cloudy water and a strong chemical smell inside the tub. Valencia newspaper Las Provincias reported that the rescue attempt caused the second fatality. The Civil Guard is investigating whether Mr Tobin suffered a fatal electric shock while handling a faulty hot tub or if he died from toxic fumes. Officers are also not ruling out a heart attack for Mr Tobin due to the intense physical exertion and stress of saving his wife.

Toxicology reports will help determine if Ms McArdle had a medical incident caused by gas buildup or another substance in the water. Ms McArdle worked as a quantity surveyor at the London consultancy firm Turner and Townsend within the high-end hotels industry for five and a half years. She spent 30 years working in the UK since graduating from Trinity College Dublin, running her own firm and serving as a partner before becoming head of hotels where she managed famous luxury sites including the Ritz.

Her father, Tommy McArdle, was once a director for RTÉ and played goalkeeper for the Monaghan senior county football team during the 1950s and 60s. Mr Tobin worked in London's tech industry before his death. Relatives of Ms McArdle arrived late Wednesday to comfort their children, who are believed to be traumatised after finding the bodies. The pair had alerted a nearby property owner who then called police. Officers contacted family members in Monaghan using contacts from one of the boys' phones.

Three relatives, including an uncle for the teenagers, flew out to care for them and landed at 3am Wednesday morning, less than 12 hours after discovery. The Department of Foreign Affairs confirmed it was providing consular assistance while New Zealand's Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated it was aware of Mr Tobin's death and helping his relatives in home and the UK.