Authorities reported that six people were found dead in a luxury hotel suite in Thailand after being poisoned by drinks containing cyanide. Investigators suspect that one of the deceased might have orchestrated the tragic ordeal due to facing overwhelming debt.
RELATED STORIES: Black Man Sues For Discrimination After Claiming A Detroit Hotel Only Offered Him An Interview Because He Changed His Name On Resume
Six victims were found by hotel staff at the Grand Hyatt Erawan Hotel in Bangkok on Tuesday. Reports initially suggested they had been shot, but police later confirmed that they had died from cyanide poisoning. The victims had checked into the hotel separately and were assigned to five rooms on different floors. They gathered in one of the rooms on Monday, where they were later found deceased, the BBC reported.
The victims of the incident were Sherine Chong, 56, and Dang Hung Van, 55, who were American citizens. The other four victims were Vietnamese nationals: Thi Nguyen Phuong, 46, her husband Hong Pham Thanh, 49, Thi Nguyen Phuong Lan, 47, and Dinh Tran Phu, 37. Authorities mentioned that the two American victims had lent “tens of millions of Thai baht” ($280,000) to another deceased individual for investment purposes.
RELATED STORIES: Ex-JetBlue Employee Arrested For Calling Fake Bomb Threat at TWA Hotel
The group ordered food and tea, which was delivered to the room around 2:00 local time and received by Ms. Chong. Deputy Bangkok police chief Gen Noppasin Poonsawat said a waiter offered to make tea for the guests, but Chong refused. They revealed that she spoke very little and appeared to be under stress. After leaving the room, no one else appeared to have entered.
Police did not find any signs of a struggle or robbery but detected traces of cyanide in all six tea cups. Relatives explained to the police that Thi Nguyen Phoung and Hong Pha Thanh owned a road construction business and had given money to Ms. Chong to invest in a hospital building project in Japan. They also suspect that Mr. Dinh, a make-up artist from Da Nang, Vietnam, had been duped into making an investment. His family last heard from him on Sunday, and he said he planned to extend his stay.
