Police investigating death of Irish woman and her husband in Spain await autopsy results

Thomasina Tobin, who was 51 and from Castleblayney in Co Monaghan was found dead with her husband, Patrick Tobin, in a rented villa in Cullera, near the city of Valencia.

One week after an Irish woman and her husband were found dead in a jacuzzi in Spain, questions still remain about what killed them.

Spanish police told the Irish Examiner that full autopsy results to ascertain the cause of death of Thomasina Tobin, née McArdle, 51, who was originally from Co Monaghan, and her husband, Patrick Tobin, 48, who was originally from New Zealand, are still awaited.

The bodies were found by their two teenage children at the jacuzzi in a holiday villa they were renting in Cullera, a coastal town south of Valencia at about 5pm on Tuesday, August 25.

Although no official cause of death has been released, local newspaper Las Provincias has reported that autopsies indicated that the couple died from cardiac arrests, although the cause was not known.

One theory being investigated is that a malfunction in the suction system trapped them in the jacuzzi and the physical exertion and stress of trying to escape resulted in cardiac arrest.

Another possibility is that one or both of them were electrocuted by the jacuzzi. Multiple inspections of the jacuzzi have now been made by police and by industry experts. 

Mrs Tobin graduated from Trinity College Dublin before moving to London where she built a successful career in quantity surveying and construction, working on major projects including iconic hotels such as The Ritz and The Shangri-La at The Shard in London.

Her family in Co Monaghan is well-known and highly respected in the GAA and arts communities.

Her father, Tommy McArdle, from Drumhowan, near Castleblayney, Co Monaghan, played football for his county in his youth and later produced and directed film and TV and worked for RTÉ, including on the hit drama series Glenroe.

Three relatives from Ireland flew to Spain last week to be with the couple’s children, aged 14 and 15. The Tobin family had been on holiday in a luxury rental villa in Cap Blanc in the town of Cullera, south of Valencia.

The family’s rented villa was in an elevated position above the town, with views over the Gulf of Valencia. Initially, there was some concern that the couple may have been murdered, as small cuts or puncture wounds were found on the bodies.

However, investigators now believe the deaths were accidental, possibly as a result of a mechanical failure in the jacuzzi, and that the wounds on one of the bodies, in particular, may have been caused while attempting to rescue their spouse from the water.