Initial autopsy results have revealed traces of cyanide in the blood of six Vietnamese and American guests who died at a luxury hotel in central Bangkok. One of the guests is believed to have poisoned the others over a bad investment, Thai authorities announced on Wednesday.
The bodies were found on Tuesday in the Grand Hyatt Erawan Bangkok, a landmark located at a central intersection in the capital, surrounded by malls, government buildings, and public transit.
The six guests were last seen alive when food was delivered to their room on Monday afternoon. The staff observed one woman receiving the food, and security video showed the rest arriving one by one shortly after. There were no other visitors, and no one was seen leaving. The door was locked from the inside. A maid found them on Tuesday afternoon when they failed to check out.
Upon entering the room, hotel staff found that the food ordered the previous day was left untouched, with some servings of fried rice still under plastic wrap. While the food was untouched, several used teacups were on a nearby table, next to two thermos bottles.
Lt. Gen. Trairong Pipwan, chief of the Thai police force’s forensic division, confirmed the presence of cyanide in the cups and bottles. Initial results from autopsies of the six bodies, performed at Bangkok’s Chulalongkorn Hospital, were shared on Wednesday. Kornkiat Wongbansarinsin, head of the forensic medicine department at Chulalongkorn University’s medical school, stated at a news conference that cyanide was found in the blood of all six victims. A CAT scan showed signs of blunt force trauma, reinforcing the hypothesis that they had been poisoned.
The hotel’s head of security, Chanchai Sittipunt, mentioned that the team knew the guests and attempted to determine if cyanide was the likely cause of death.
The Thai police chief, Gen. Tith Sangswang, identified the dead as two Vietnamese men and four American women. He indicated that the victims had likely ingested the cyanide-laced tea, which is considered to be the cause of death.
The Associated Press
