Husband and spouse’s sizzling tub dying takes thriller flip as fault branded ‘unattainable’
Patrick Tobin, 48, and wife Thomasina, 51, were found dead by their teenage children after they are believed to have got into difficulty in their villa’s hot tub
Thomasina and Patrick Tobin died in a bizarre alleged hot tub accident(Image: RIP.ie)
Experts have made new claims around the mystery of the British couple found dead in the hot tub of their luxury Spanish villa.
Patrick Tobin, 48, and Thomasina Tobin, 51, had cuts on both their bodies as investigators believe they died as a result of a deadly jacuzzi malfunction.
The London-based family were on holiday in a hilltop property in Cullera near Valencia last month. Their bodies were discovered by their two teenage sons, partially outside of the water or just outside the edge of the hot tub. Reports indicate they may have lain undiscovered for up to 12 hours.
Patrick Tobin
Initial findings suggested they may have been victims of “suction entrapment”. The rare phenomenon is known to occur when a fault or block creates a vacuum at a hot tub drain, trapping a person’s body, hair of clothing.
Forensic evidence and autopsy results suggest that one partner became trapped by the powerful suction and the other suffered fatal exhaustion while desperately attempting a rescue.
However some experts aren’t convinced. Francisco Quero, a spa technician in the Valencia area told the Daily Mail: ”This is a privately owned [hot tub] on private property, which means its motor runs on two or three horsepower maximum [equivalent to a large lawnmower or pressure washer].”
This is the Irish mother and businesswoman who died
He further explained: “It is very strange that an adult would get stuck in the suction system. A baby might get stuck but not an adult.
“Even if the grill, which usually protects the suction system was taken away, an adult might get stuck for a moment, they might have a bit of a scare and be left with some bruises, but that’s all. There could have been an electric shock, causing a person to lose consciousness and block the suction, but… it does not make sense to me.
“It is impossible to get stuck in one of these devices and not be able to get out. I am not an investigator, and I have not seen the equipment but I would rule out that hypothesis.”
They were discovered in the spa tub(Image: Airbnb)
Carlos Navarro, CEO of Goccia Spa, claimed the spa bath shown in videos of the villa from 2021 was not the one sold to the owners seven years ago, the Daily Mail reported.
Mr Navarro said: “I have visited factories all around the world and seen many different designs and it is practically impossible for something like this to happen at hot tubs installed in the home. The suction is caused from two holes at the bottom and both have security nets. Maybe these nets broke and the owner never replaced them.
“It is very improbable but there may have been a chance that one of the holes became covered by something and blocked, causing all the suction to go through the other hole. But I still don’t think this would be enough pressure for an adult to get stuck.
“There are security measures that cause [hot tubs] to switch off every 15 minutes as well.”
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