BANGKOK. Traces of cyanide have been detected in the blood of six Vietnamese and American guests found dead at a luxury hotel in central Bangkok. Thai authorities revealed Wednesday that initial autopsy results indicate one of the victims may have poisoned the others due to a bad investment.
The bodies were discovered on Tuesday at the Grand Hyatt Erawan Bangkok, a prominent hotel located in a bustling area filled with malls, government buildings, and public transit. The six victims were last seen alive when food was delivered to their room on Monday afternoon. Staff observed a woman receiving the food, and security footage showed the others arriving shortly after. No other visitors were recorded, and the room was locked from the inside. A maid discovered the bodies on Tuesday afternoon when the group failed to check out.
Hotel staff reported that the food ordered the previous day was left untouched, with servings of fried rice still under plastic wrap. However, several used teacups were found on a nearby table, next to two thermos bottles.
The autopsies, conducted at Bangkok’s Chulalongkorn Hospital, revealed cyanide in the blood of all six victims. Kornkiat Vongpaisarnsin, head of the forensic medicine department at Chulalongkorn University’s medical school, stated at a news conference that the presence of cyanide and the absence of blunt force trauma suggested poisoning.
Chulalongkorn’s dean of medicine, Chanchai Sittipunt, confirmed that the cyanide was likely the cause of death. Bangkok police chief Lt. Gen. Thiti Sangsawang identified the deceased as two Vietnamese Americans and four Vietnamese nationals, comprising three men and three women aged between 37 and 56. The police indicated that the incident appeared personal and would not affect tourist safety.
Noppasin Punsawat, Bangkok deputy police chief, mentioned that a husband and wife among the dead had invested approximately 10 million baht ($278,000) with two others in the group, which could be a motive. The investment was reportedly for a hospital in Japan, and the group might have been meeting to resolve the issue. Police suggested that one individual poisoned the others but did not specify which of the six was responsible.
Lt. Gen. Thiti Sangsawang reported that four bodies were found in the living room and two in the bedroom, with two victims appearing to have attempted to reach the door. Noppasin also mentioned that a seventh person associated with the hotel booking, a sibling of one of the victims, left Thailand on July 10 and is not considered involved in the deaths.
The Vietnamese and United States embassies have been informed, and the FBI is en route to assist, according to Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin. U.S. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller expressed condolences and stated that the U.S. is closely monitoring the situation and communicating with local authorities.
The five-star Grand Hyatt Erawan is a landmark hotel in Bangkok, near the Erawan Shrine, a major tourist attraction. The shrine, erected in 1956, was the target of a 2015 bombing that killed 20 people and injured over 100. In 2023, Thailand faced reports of a serial killer, Sararat Rangsiwuthaporn, who poisoned 15 people with cyanide, killing at least 14.
Gary P Hernal started college at UP Diliman and received his BA in Economics from San Sebastian College, Manila, and Masters in Information Systems Management from Keller Graduate School of Management of DeVry University in Oak Brook, IL. He has 25 years of copy editing and management experience at Thomson West, a subsidiary of Thomson Reuters.
