Mum and husband tragically die in freak hot tub accident before being found by their children

Last Tuesday (25 August), Thomasina and Patrick Tobin were found dead inside a jacuzzi by their two children.

It’s believed the London-based Irish mum and her husband from New Zealand experienced a freak accident while the family were holidaying at a villa near Valencia in Spain.

Autopsies have ruled out any foul play and it’s said the couple both suffered cardiac arrests.

Their 14 and 16-year-old kids had reportedly been sleeping for most of the time in the top-floor of the hilltop property in Cullera and then began a room-by-room search after calling out for their parents.

Reports suggest Thomasina and Patrick’s deaths occurred late the previous night or in the early hours of Tuesday morning. It’s currently unclear exactly how they died, but it’s believed the cardiac arrests resulted from trying to escape the water.

Cullera, Spain. (Petr Svarc/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

“Preliminary analyses indicate that the victims suffered cardiac arrest brought on by acute stress following physical exhaustion and the desperation of the moment,” local newspaper Las Provincias reported.

The local press has reported that investigators were looking into the theory that a ‘technical fault’ had occurred in the hot tub, causing one of the couple to become trapped.

It’s thought the other may have then been trying to free them, also then unable to get out. Sources have said the incident was not being treated as a crime.

“According to the first investigations, the excessive suction force would have imprisoned the couple inside the bathtub, which triggered a situation of extreme anguish and desperate physical effort to free themselves from the hydraulic grip,” Las Provincias explained, as hot tub industry experts joined the Guardia Civil team to examine the scene.

“The autopsy findings almost definitively reinforce the theory of accidental entrapment. Preliminary analyses indicate that the victims suffered cardiac arrest brought on by acute stress following physical exhaustion and the desperation of the moment.”

Thomasina Tobin. (festivalofhospitality)

There is also the theory that one of the parents may have suffered a heart attack after being electrocuted due to a potential fault. And the other than may have died trying to save them.

Relatives of the reportedly ‘traumatised’ teens flew out to Spain within hours of learning of the tragedy.

The water in the jacuzzi is reported to have been cloudy and is also being analysed. A homicide unit was initially involved in the probe due to marks and scratches on their bodies but foul play has been ruled out. It’s instead believed that a freak accident occurred in the jacuzzi.

In line with Spanish practice, the full post-mortem results won’t be officially released.