Two Americans and four others found dead in a luxury hotel in Bangkok Tuesday afternoon may have ingested poisonous cyanide in their tea.
The victims, two of whom had dual Vietnamese-American nationality while the remaining four were Vietnamese nationals, were found inside a room at the Grand Hyatt Erawan Hotel at around 5pm local time on Tuesday.
INTELLIGENCES GATHERED
They are thought to have died after ingesting cyanide, according to local newspaper Matichon, while one officer claimed the bodies were foaming at the mouth.
Another local outlet, Thai PBS, reported the tea and coffee cups inside the room had all been used, but there were plates of food that remained untouched.
An image released by the Royal Thai Police, seemingly shows a body lying next to the uneaten meals left on a table in the hotel room.
STATEMENT FROM POLICE
A police official, speaking on condition of anonymity, had earlier dismissed reports in Thai media that the six people had been killed in a shooting.
‘There is no sign of a shooting,’ the official told Reuters, without elaborating further.
Bangkok police chief Lieutenant General Thiti Sangsawang said there were three males and three females.
AT THE SCENE
Investigators said the bodies were foaming at the mouth, an officer from the Lumpini police station said on condition of anonymity because he wasn’t authorized to release information.
The victims had booked several rooms at the Grand Hyatt Erawan Hotel under seven names, and some were staying on a different floor from the room where they were found dead, Thiti said.
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WHERE IS THE SEVENTH PERSON?
Police are still looking for the seventh person included in the booking, Thiti said at a news conference at the hotel.
He said there were no signs of a struggle. The residents of the room where the bodies were found were supposed to have checked out earlier Tuesday and their luggage had already been packed, he said.
The bodies were discovered by a maid who went to the room after they failed to check out and found it locked from the inside, Thiti said.
There was food that had been ordered earlier from room service that was left uneaten, but drinks had been consumed, Thiti said.
