Six individuals, including two Vietnamese Americans, were found dead in a luxury hotel room in central Bangkok, leading Thai police to investigate the possibility of poisoning.
The bodies were discovered by hotel staff in a fifth-floor room at the Grand Hyatt after the guests missed their check-out time by over 24 hours, according to Thiti Saengsawang, Bangkok’s Metropolitan Police commissioner.
Police have ruled out robbery as a motive since there were no signs of physical violence on the bodies. They also believe that “they didn’t harm themselves.” However, Saengsawang mentioned that cups containing traces of a white powder were found in the room, along with untouched food that had been ordered earlier. Poisoning remains a potential cause.
Authorities are currently searching for a seventh individual who was part of the hotel booking and is now considered a possible suspect.
The other four deceased were Vietnamese nationals. Saengsawang noted that one member of the group appeared to have attempted to reach the door but collapsed before succeeding.
Police were seen guarding the entrance of the five-star hotel on Tuesday following the discovery of the bodies.
A photo provided by the Royal Thai Police shows officers escorting Sararat Rangsiwuthaporn, a suspect accused of killing at least twelve victims with cyanide, to the criminal court in Bangkok, Thailand, on April 26, 2023.
State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller expressed condolences to the families of the deceased and stated that the department is monitoring the situation closely, ready to provide consular assistance.
“Whenever a US citizen dies abroad, local authorities are responsible for determining the cause of death. We often reach out to local authorities in such cases, and we will certainly do so here,” Miller said.
Miller did not confirm if the deaths were discussed during Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s call with his Thai counterpart, as the call may have occurred before the department was informed of the incident.
This tragic event comes after a separate high-profile poisoning case last year, in which Thai woman Sararat Rangsiwuthaporn was charged with at least 13 counts of premeditated murder involving cyanide.
cnn