Tragic truth behind deaths of hot tub couple revealed for first time: Devastated friends break silence to share what really happened at Spanish holiday villa – including husband’s brave final act
The bodies of Irish-born Thomasina Tobin and her New Zealand-born husband Patrick were found in the hot tub of their rented holiday villa in Cullera, near Valencia, in the early hours of 25 August, sparking weeks of speculation about how the well-liked couple could have died together so suddenly. Their two teenage children, who have mild special needs, discovered the bodies and are now being cared for by relatives in London, while the wider community in Thomasina's home town of Castleblayney, Co Monaghan, prepares for their funerals next Friday.
A family friend has told the Daily Mail that a Spanish coroner has concluded electrocution is the most likely cause of death, superseding earlier theories of chemical poisoning, overheating or drowning caused by a suction fault. The working assumption is that Patrick was electrocuted while trying to pull his wife from the water after she got into difficulty, with one body found in the hot tub and the other beside it. Foul play has been ruled out, but the family says they still lack a full picture of events and expect further action once the investigation concludes. The £2,600-a-week villa, where the couple had booked a two-week break, remains closed as investigators continue their inquiries.
- Coroner: electrocution likely killed Irish-NZ couple in Spanish hot tub
- Husband reportedly died trying to save drowning wife
- Their teenage children found the bodies; funerals held next week
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Cullera is a coastal town near Valencia, Spain, popular with holidaymakers. In late August 2026, an Irish-New Zealand couple, Thomasina and Patrick Tobin, were found dead in the hot tub of a rented villa there while on a family holiday. Their teenage children, who found them, are originally from Castleblayney, County Monaghan in Ireland, where the family was well known.
In the weeks since the deaths, various explanations were put forward for how the couple could have died together so unexpectedly, including chemical exposure, overheating and a possible fault with the hot tub's water system. No official cause had been confirmed for some time, which fuelled speculation locally and among the couple's wider circle of friends and family.
The case matters both because of the personal tragedy for two children left without their parents, and because it raises questions about the safety of rented holiday accommodation abroad. Spanish authorities have been investigating, and the villa has remained closed while inquiries continue.