Discovery and initial response
An Irish couple, a man aged 50 and a woman aged 45, were found dead in a hot tub at a rented property in Cullera, a town of around 25,000 people on Spain's Valencian coast, about 25 miles (40km) south of Valencia. The bodies were discovered by the couple's teenage children, who then alerted the homeowner, according to police and multiple reports.
The discovery was made at Cap Blanc, a residential estate in Cullera, described by one report as a gated community whose villas and apartments have views of the Mediterranean Sea. The exact timing of the discovery is disputed: some reports say the bodies were found on Monday afternoon, while others say Tuesday. A Civil Guard spokesman told The Irish Times the bodies were found "yesterday," in an article published Tuesday, and another report states the discovery was made on Tuesday afternoon.
Local police and the Civil Guard were mobilised, and a specialist Civil Guard homicide unit in Valencia has taken charge of the investigation. The Civil Guard spokesman, Pablo Cea, told The Irish Times that the homicide unit's involvement "does not mean this was a homicide," adding: "It could be an accident – every hypothesis is open for investigation."
Investigation and possible causes
The cause of death has not yet been determined. Initial reports indicated that foul play was not the cause, according to a Civil Guard spokesperson quoted by The Independent. However, police are also investigating the possibility of foul play, and the possibility of an accident has not been ruled out. A Civil Guard spokesman told rte.ie that the first officers at the scene found evidence "pointing to the possibility the couple might not have died of natural causes," but stressed that "nothing has yet been ruled out."
The investigation is ongoing. Officers took a sample of water from the hot tub for analysis, which was described as "cloudy" in one local report. The bodies were taken to the Institute of Legal Medicine in Valencia for post-mortem examinations, and were removed from the scene shortly before midnight on Tuesday, according to reports.
A source close to the investigation told the Irish Independent that the water sample was routine: "It's normal a water sample was taken from the jacuzzi the couple were found in. The analysis could help investigators for example in finding out whether it contains DNA belonging to a third person."
Support for the children
The couple's two children, aged 14 and 16, are being cared for by social workers assisted by a psychologist, according to multiple reports. The Independent reported that the children were receiving psychological support, and that relatives were reportedly making arrangements to travel to Spain to care for them. rte.ie reported that an uncle of the children was travelling from Ireland, and that the children had been taken to a hotel in Cullera.
The Department of Foreign Affairs said it is "aware of this case" and is providing consular assistance. In a statement, it added: "As with all consular cases, the department does not comment on the details of individual cases."