Pictured: London-based mother, 51, who died alongside her husband in a hot tub while on holiday in Spain – before being found dead by their children

A London-based mother who is thought to have died while trying to save her husband after he became trapped in a hot tub in Spain has been pictured. 

Spanish police believe mother-of-two Thomasina Tobin, 51, passed away when attempting to save her husband, 48-year-old Patrick Tobin, after he became stuck underwater at a spa in a luxury villa the couple were holidaying at in Colina del Sol, Valencia. 

The couple, who had lived and worked in London for several years, were staying at the gated complex – which forms part of the Cap Blanc residential estate in Cullera – when their bodies were discovered by their two teenage sons on Tuesday at approximately 5pm. 

The two boys, aged 14 and 16 and understood to have special needs, searched the luxury villa for their parents before finding them close to the hot tub on the lowest floor and raised the alarm with a neighbour.

Investigators on the case now believe the pair were victims of suction entrapment, which occurs when a powerful vacuum pull from a hot tub drain or swimming pool traps a person’s body, hair, or clothing underwater. 

Post-mortem exams conducted on Ms Tobin, from Co Monaghan, Ireland, and Mr Tobin ruled out foul play, and no signs of forced entry or suspicious activity on nearby CCTV cameras were detected.

Marks and scratches found on both bodies as well as blood in the cloudy water of the jacuzzi, and a strong chemical smell were noted by police.

Valencian newspaper Levante-EMV said suction marks were found on the couple by authorities; however, were more pronounced on Mr Tobin –  leading investigators to believe he was pulled under the water first and his wife passed away attempting to recover him. 

The couple who were found dead in the seaside resort town of Cullera on Spain’s east coast (File image)  

It is understood both bodies were found partially outside the hot tub, adding to the theory Ms Tobin was able to free her husband at some point during the incident.  

Police had also been examining if either Mr or Ms Tobin had been electrocuted in the small pool, but this has since been ruled out.   

At this stage, the results of a post-mortem examination will not be released officially, in keeping with Spanish practice.  

Ms Tobin was working at the London consultancy firm Turner and Townsend as a quantity surveyor in the high-end hotels industry for the past five and a half years.

She had worked in the UK for the past 30 years since graduating from Trinity College Dublin and had run her own quantity surveying firm as well as serving as partner in another before becoming head of hotels at her current company where she had worked on famous luxury sites including the Ritz.

Her father, Tommy McArdle, had been a director for RTÉ and goalkeeper for the Monaghan senior county football team in the 1950s and 60s.

Mr Tobin is understood to have worked in the tech industry in London.

Relatives of Ms Tobin arrived in Spain on Wednesday to comfort the couple’s children who are believed to be traumatised after discovering the bodies.

The pair had alerted the property owner who lived nearby and called the police, who then went through contacts in one of the boys’ phones and got in touch with family members in Monaghan.

It’s understood that three relatives, including an uncle of the teenagers, flew out to comfort and care for them after the harrowing event and landed at 3am on Wednesday morning, less than 12 hours after the bodies were found.

The Department of Foreign Affairs confirmed that it was providing consular assistance in this case, while New Zealand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated it was aware of Mr Tobin’s death and was assisting his relatives at home and in the UK.