David Fisk and Lucita Barquin Cortez: Chilling new details emerge of Aussie couple brutally murdered in Filipino hotel - as it's revealed the family are haunted by tragedy

EXCLUSIVE 

The family of an Australian man murdered in the Philippines with his wife and a female relative lost his mother to cancer just 18 months ago - as witnesses report seeing a man lurking near the scene of the crime.

David James Fisk, 57, his wife Lucita Barquin Cortez, 55, a Philippines-born Australian citizen, and her Filipina daughter-in-law Mary Jane Cortez, 30, were found dead at The Lake Hotel, at Tagaytay in Cavite province, southwest of Manila.

Hotel staff made the discovery on Wednesday when they failed to check out of their room, with the victims reportedly found lying face-down, their hands and legs bound with electrical cords and shoelaces, and their mouths covered with packaging tape.

Local media reported Mr Fisk's throat had been cut in the horrific attack.

Police say they are yet to determine a motive and are searching for a man who was spotted on CCTV exiting the room with a bag on Wednesday morning. 

According to local media reports, a security guard, Rodney Parahinog, passed the man at 6am on Wednesday at the resort's entrance gate and asked him where he was going. 

Mr Parahinog said the man said that he was checked into the room and was holding a key card for Mr Fisk's room. 

As the victims' families come to terms with the tragedy, Daily Mail Australia can reveal the deaths come just 18 months after the Fisk family lost his mother Jan in February 2023. 

Mr Fisk's twin adult daughters, Lacinda and Brittany, also recently lost their maternal grandmother, Joan Elshaw, in May. 

Both women had battled with cancer, and Mr Fisk and his daughters were supporters of charity organisations dedicated to supporting those suffering from the disease.

'You suffered much in silence, your spirit did not bend, you fought for life with courage, until the very end,' reads an obituary for the beloved grandmother. 

'You left us with memories, that make us laugh and cry, but the love you planted, in our hearts Will never die.'

In May, Mr Fisk participated in a 63km walk to support young people impacted by cancer for Canteen Australia.

Last month, Lacinda - who is a philanthropy unit coordinator at Cancer Council NSW - announced she would be taking part in Dry July in honour of her nana. 

'Don't forget - every donation, big or small, makes a difference for people affected by cancer,' she wrote on social media.

The back-to-back tragedies come just weeks before Lacinda is due to wed her fiancé in August.

On Friday morning,  Mr Fisk's family released a statement, sharing their grief as they pleaded for answers about the horrific deaths. 

'The love we have for our Father and Lucita is so dear and this situation is like living a nightmare,' the statement read.

'We pray for answers and the truth in this horrific matter and just pray for their safe return to Australian shores.

'David's daughters, local known and loved residents in the Sutherland Shire, ask on behalf of their family that the media respect our privacy in this incredibly difficult and tragic time and we will be making no further comment.'

The family have set up a GoFundMe to assist with 'support getting justice for all loved ones involved' and will be used to 'help ease the financial stress and burden that will arise from this incredibly difficult time'. 

Meanwhile, tributes have poured in online as devastated loved ones remember the 'kind' couple. 

One relative shared a photo of the couple on holidays in the Philippines as she called for justice.

'RIP to the three of you,' she said.'I hope you will get justice. You don't deserve what happened to you, you're too kind, why did this happen to you?

'I hope the person who did this to you will be caught.'

A long-time neighbour of Mr Fisk and Ms Barquin Cortez told Daily Mail Australia on Friday the couple were 'very, very nice'.

She said she last saw them about two weeks ago, as they were leaving to go to the airport for their overseas holiday.

'They were very happy they were going to the Philippines,' she said. 'I am so shocked. It's so sad.

'I cannot believe they are no longer [alive].'

Police are interviewing witnesses and are looking to speak to a man seen on CCTV wearing a mask, a black hoodie and maroon shorts.

A statement from the Tagaytay Cavite Police Provincial Office said the station's tracker team had been activated, with searches being conducted at 'all possible exit points within Tagaytay and nearby provinces to apprehend and identify the suspect'.

Local Mayor Abraham Tolentino apologised to Australia and has promised the incident will be resolved 'as soon as possible'.

'We were shocked by this incident,' he told local media. 'We're very sorry to our Australian friends.'

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFAT) confirmed they were providing consular assistance to the families of the two Australians killed.

'We send our condolences to the families at this difficult time,' a DFAT spokeswoman said.

'Owing to our privacy obligations we are unable to provide further comment.'

It is understood the Australian couple were due to fly back to Australia on the day they were killed, but decided to extend their trip at the last minute.

Mr Fisk's body will be repatriated to Sydney, while both women will be buried in the Philippines, with the government to pay for their funeral service and burial.

The luxurious hotel where the couple were found boasts panoramic views of the world-famous Taal Lake and volcano.

Opened in 2008, the four-star, $356-a-night Lake Hotel Tagaytay is a 90 minute drive from Manila.