Thai police identify cyanide as cause of deaths in Grand Hyatt hotel
On 17 July, Thai police held a press conference that confirmed cyanide poisoning as the cause of the six deaths at the Grand Hyatt Erawan hotel in Bangkok.
The police forensics team confirmed that cyanide was detected in all six teacups used by the victims.
Source: @thaich8news on X
Additionally, one of the victims had traces of cyanide in their system, thus leading police to confirm that cyanide poisoning was the cause of death.
However, police are still waiting on the full autopsy report on all six victims.
One of the deceased poisoned others with cyanide in hotel
According to a Channel NewsAsia (CNA) report, Thai police confirmed that one of the six dead had carried out the crime.
At this time, police have ruled out an external party being involved in the poisoning.
Source: @thaich8news on X
According to Khaosod English, the six deceased foreign nationals are as follows:
- Ms Thi Nguyen Phuong, 46
- Ms Thi Nguyen Phuong Lan, 47
- Mr Dinh Tran Phu, 37
- Mr Hung Dang Van, 55
- Ms Sherine Chong, 56
- Mr Hong Pham Thanh, 49
Police noted that hotel staff only saw 56-year-old Ms Sherine Chong when they delivered room service on 15 July — a day before the bodies were discovered.
When the staff offered to brew the tea, she said that they’d handle it themselves.
Ms Chong was the guest staying in room 502, where the bodies were found.
Based on CCTV footage, no one aside from the six victims entered or left the room after the delivery service.
A couple of minutes after the waiter left the room, the five other guests carried their luggage into room 502.
Two of the victims had invested ฿10 million in another victim
BBC reported that two of the victims had invested “tens of millions of Thai baht” to another of the deceased.
Ms Thi Nguyen Phuong and Mr Hong Pham Thanh, a married couple, had allegedly given money to Ms Chong to invest in a hospital building project in Japan.
As such, investigators suspect that the motive of the crime is linked to debt.
Deputy Bangkok police chief Gen Noppassin Poonsawat noted that the group checked in separately over the weekend.
They were given five rooms — four on the seventh floor, and one on the fifth.
On Monday (15 July) afternoon, they all gathered in Ms Chong’s room on the fifth floor.
Police confirm identities of the six deceased
The six bodies were first discovered by hotel staff at around 4pm on Tuesday (16 July) after the guests had failed to check out.
Two of the deceased — Ms Sherine Chong and Mr Hung Dang Van — held American passports, while the others were Vietnamese nationals.
Of the six found, only five checked into the hotel. Mr Hong Pham Thanh did not check in.
Source: Matichon
Additionally, police discovered a seventh person on the hotel bookings. They confirmed that this person was the younger sister of Ms Thi Nguyen Phuong Lan.
Because she had left Thailand on 10 July, police have ruled out her involvement in the tragedy.
Also read: 6 foreign nationals found dead in Bangkok hotel suite with no signs of struggle
6 foreign nationals found dead in Bangkok hotel suite with no signs of struggle
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Featured image adapted from @thaich8news on X and Matichon.
