6 Dead in Suspected Poisoning in Thai Hotel Room; No Signs of Struggle

A shocking incident occurred last evening (16 July) at the Grand Hyatt Erawan hotel in Bangkok, Thailand.

6 Deaths in Thai Hotel Suspected to be by Poisoning

Six people were found dead in a hotel room at around 5:30 pm by cleaning staff, according to the Bangkok Post.

The situation resembled that of a “closed room” mystery in detective stories, as despite six deaths, no sign of a struggle or theft was found.

One victim suffered facial wounds, presumed by police to be from falling onto a hard object.

A man and woman also appeared to be trying to reach the suite door but died before making it.

The six victims had likely been dead for around 24 hours.

The food at the crime scene was uneaten and covered in plastic wrap. However, the victims appeared to have consumed the drinks.

Police found suspicious substances in the form of white powder at the bottom of the cups, and so suspected poisoning as the method of killing.

South China Morning Post reported an expert’s opinion that it was cyanide which had been laced into the drinks.

However, Metropolitan Police Commissioner Thiti Saengsawang later refused to confirm the earlier police claim by stating, “We are not saying they were poisoned.”

They have established that the deaths in the five-star Thai hotel were not the result of a group suicide.

“We need to find out the motives,” Thiti said. Police are looking through the victims’ luggage, CCTV footage, and their social media posts to hopefully determine one.

The strange circumstances of the six deaths caused much speculation on the motives. Unfounded claims included a business conflict and even a cult sacrifice, according to Thaiger.

Currently, investigators are also working to carry out an autopsy on the victims to learn more about how they died.

A 7th Person Suspected in Thai Hotel Deaths

Investigators confirmed the names and ages of the six victims. Four of them were Vietnamese nationals while the other two were Vietnamese Americans. There were three men and three women.

According to the Commissioner of the Royal Thai Police, each individual arrived in Thailand at different times, entering on tourist visas.

They also checked into different rooms as part of a group booking but ended up dead in the same one.

Thiti said they were also looking for a mysterious seventh person who was part of the group booking.

US State Department Offers Condolences to Families

The US State Department confirmed they were “closely monitoring the situation” and “ready to provide consular assistance”.

They also offered condolences to the families of the deceased.

The Thai PM gave assurance that the incident was unlikely to negatively impact Thailand’s tourism.

This is not the only incident that has raised fears of travelling to Thailand.

Last year, at least one tourist was a casualty in a shooting at the Siam Paragon mall.