Bangkok hotel horror: culprit among 6 foreigners killed by cyanide poisoning, police say

Thailand has been left reeling after six Vietnamese were found dead in a luxury hotel suite – with a seventh guest missing

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Thai police secure the area around the Grand Hyatt Erawan Hotel in Bangkok, where six people were found dead on Tuesday. Photo: EPA-EFE

Published: 8:53am, 17 Jul 2024Updated: 6:24pm, 17 Jul 2024

Six bodies found slumped in a luxury hotel suite, a seventh guest mysteriously missing, and a chilling residue detected in used tea cups – all signs pointing to a murder-by-poisoning in the heart of Bangkok that has stunned Thailand and left authorities scrambling for answers.

Police said on Wednesday that blood tests had found evidence of cyanide in all six of the deceased, and that one of them was responsible for the deaths.

“We would like to confirm that one of the six dead caused this incident using cyanide,” Noppasil Poonsawas, deputy commander of investigations at Bangkok’s Metropolitan Police Bureau said at a press conference. “We are confident one of the six conducted the crime.”

The disturbing case unfolded the night before at the five-star Grand Hyatt Erawan hotel, a popular destination for upscale tourists, celebrities, and dignitaries.

According to authorities, the six Vietnamese victims – three men and three women, two of whom also held American passports – had been dead for roughly 24 hours before a maid stumbled upon the grisly scene on Tuesday afternoon.