US citizen among six dead from cyanide poisoning in Bangkok hotel

Six people – three women and three men – were found dead under mysterious circumstances in a luxury hotel in Thailand’s capital Bangkok on Tuesday. Authorities said they found traces of cyanide in the victims’ blood.

The dead were identified as Vietnamese between the ages of 37 and 56, two of them dual-national Americans, Bangkok police Lt. Gen. Thiti Sangsawang told a news conference on Tuesday. Police said the group checked into Bangkok’s Grand Hyatt Erawan hotel at different times after arriving on Saturday and Sunday. Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, who was also at the conference along with other senior police officials, ordered a swift investigation into the matter.

Thiti Sangsawang, Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Bureau, speaks during a press conference following an incident in which six bodies were found in a Bangkok hotel on July 16, 2024.

Dead for over 20 hours

Police were notified of the incident at around 5:30 p.m. local time on Tuesday after a hotel maid entered the room when the group failed to check out. The room was locked from the inside and police believe the group had been dead for over 20 hours when they were discovered. They were last seen alive the previous day at around 2 p.m. when they entered the room.

Room service brought food, tea and milk to the room shortly before 2 p.m., along with six teacups and two thermos flasks. Police said only one person was in the room at the time, while the other five came after the staff left. While much of the food was untouched, investigators found residue at the bottom of the six coffee cups. Five of the cups were found in the preparation area, while one was found in the dining room, Sangsawang said, adding that evidence is being collected and forensically examined.

Sangsawang said the dead were found in the same hotel room, although they had checked into different rooms. There were no signs of fighting, violence or looting and none of the victims had any wounds, Sangsawang said.

Cyanide found in blood

On Wednesday, police said cyanide poisoning was the suspected cause of death and that one of the dead was believed to be the suspected killer. At a news conference, police said cyanide was also found in drinking glasses and a water container.

“We can assume that the six died of cyanide,” Kornkiat Vongpaisarnsin of Chulalongkorn Hospital said at the press conference, according to Reuters, adding that the results of further tests would be available on Friday. The forensic expert also said there were no signs of physical violence on the bodies or injuries to internal organs.

Dispute over debts

Interviews with relatives of the deceased suggested a dispute over debts related to an investment. Police said the group worked together at a hospital in Japan and originally planned to meet there to discuss the plans. However, some group members were unable to travel to Japan due to visa issues, so they met in Bangkok instead.

Police had previously said the group included a seventh person who had booked into the same hotel but was not found in the hotel rooms. Bangkok deputy police chief Noppasin Poonsawat said the person was the younger sister of one of the Vietnamese nationals and police believe she had nothing to do with the deaths. She arrived in Thailand on July 4 but returned to Da Nang, Vietnam on July 10.

No impact on tourism

Officials assured that the incident would not affect tourist activities and said it was a personal matter and not related to criminal activity. The Grand Hyatt Erawan is located at a busy intersection in downtown Bangkok, across from the Erawan Shrine. The hotel did not immediately respond to USA TODAY’s request for comment on the incident.

Dead for over 20 hours

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