Spanish police are investigating the unexplained deaths of an Irish couple whose bodies were discovered by their two teenage children at a rented holiday home in Cullera, on the Valencian coast.
The man, aged 50, and woman, 45, were found on Tuesday afternoon beside a jacuzzi at a property in the exclusive Cap Blanc residential development in the coastal town, south of Valencia.
The couple’s children, who have special needs and do not speak Spanish, discovered their parents and sought help from the owner of the property where the family had been staying. The owner immediately contacted the 112 emergency service.
Local Police officers from Cullera and the Guardia Civil were sent to the property following the alarm.
According to Las Provincias local medis, the couple were found naked and had injuries which initially appeared to resemble puncture wounds, prompting investigators to examine whether there could have been criminal involvement in their deaths.
However, Guardia Civil sources cited by Spanish state broadcaster RTVE said there were no apparent signs of violence on the bodies. Investigators have not ruled out an accidental cause of death, while the possibility that drugs may have been involved is also reportedly being considered.
The circumstances surrounding the deaths therefore remain unclear, and investigators have yet to establish whether the injuries reported on the bodies were connected to how the couple died.
Cloudy water taken from jacuzzi for analysis
According to Las Provincias, the bodies were lying in unusual circumstances beside a hydromassage bath when the first officers entered the property.
The newspaper reported that investigators found the water inside the jacuzzi was cloudy and took a sample for laboratory analysis. It has not been established whether either of the victims was actually inside the jacuzzi when they died.
One possibility being investigated is that the couple suffered some form of accident while using it.
A territorial Guardia Civil judicial police team initially began investigating the deaths before the Homicide Group of the force’s Valencia Command was called in and took charge of the case.
Criminal investigation specialists were also sent to Cap Blanc to carry out a detailed forensic examination of the property.
Officers have been making enquiries among residents and attempting to identify anyone who may have seen anything unusual in the hours before the couple were found.
The duty court in Sueca was informed of the deaths and the judge supervised the initial investigation.
Shortly after midnight, the couple’s bodies were removed from the property and transferred to Valencia’s Institute of Legal Medicine. Post-mortem examinations were due to be carried out on Wednesday to establish the cause of death and are expected to be crucial in determining whether the deaths were accidental or involved other circumstances.
Children receive specialist support
Cullera Town Hall’s Social Services department mobilised after the discovery to provide assistance to the couple’s children.
There is a discrepancy in Spanish media reports over their exact ages. RTVE, citing sources close to the investigation, reported that they were 14 and 15, while Las Provincias gave their ages as 14 and 16.
A social worker and psychologist were sent to assist the teenagers while authorities worked to contact relatives of the family in Ireland.
The regional Emergency Coordination Centre also activated two psychologists from the Red Cross’s Immediate Emergency Response Team (ERIE) to provide specialist support.
Las Provincias reported that an uncle travelled from Ireland overnight and was reunited with the teenagers at a hotel in Cullera. RTVE subsequently reported that three relatives had arrived from Ireland and that the children were now with family members in the town.
Investigation causes concern in Cap Blanc
The large Guardia Civil presence attracted considerable attention in Cap Blanc, one of Cullera’s most sought-after residential areas.
The development is built in terraces along the hillside of the Faro mountain, with many of its properties overlooking Cullera Bay.
Some residents reportedly only became aware that something had happened when they returned from the beach and saw specialist Guardia Civil investigators working at the development.
While the appearance of the homicide group and forensic specialists inevitably raised concerns that the couple may have died violently, Spanish reports stressed that investigators had not reached such a conclusion.
Indeed, Las Provincias reported that following the initial enquiries, the hypothesis gaining greater weight was that the couple’s deaths may have been accidental.
The results of the post-mortem examinations, forensic examination of the property and laboratory analysis of the water taken from the jacuzzi are expected to help investigators reconstruct what happened and determine the cause of the couple’s deaths.
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Dos menores hallan los cadáveres de sus padres, un matrimonio irlandés, en su casa en Cullera
— LAS PROVINCIAS (@lasprovincias) August 26, 2026
✍️ Javier Martínez https://t.co/lDIvJlNIHr
La Guardia Civil investiga el hallazgo de los cadáveres de un matrimonio irlandés en Cullera, Valencia https://t.co/dyfaSbfY22 pic.twitter.com/JVSx2d7oLl
— RTVE Noticias (@rtvenoticias) August 26, 2026
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