Bangkok lodge cyanide homicide victims ‘have been poisoned by US girl’

Police believe that a US citizen is responsible for a dark murder-suicide that left six people, including herself, dead in a luxury Thai hotel room after they drank coffee laced with cyanide. 

Sherine Chong, 56, is thought to have poisoned herself and five other people after she accrued huge debts related to an investment in a hospital in Japan, according to police sources cited by Vietnamese media. 

She had allegedly convinced a married couple and two other victims among the dead to pour funds into the project, but they had reportedly lost some 10 million baht – roughly $280,000 or £215,000 – as a result. 

The deceased – three males and three females of Vietnamese origin aged between 37 and 56 – had last been seen alive when food was delivered to their room at the Grand Hyatt Erawan on Monday afternoon. 

They were found dead 24 hours later at 5pm local time on Tuesday having been poisoned by Chong while meeting to discuss the debt, investigators believe. The hotel door was locked from the inside and staff have no record of any visitors. 

Post-mortem tests confirmed traces of cyanide were found in the cups and in the bodies of the victims, two of whom – including Chong – were American citizens. 

‘We are convinced that one of the six people found dead committed this crime,’ said Noppasin Punsawat, Bangkok deputy police chief.

Police Lieutenant General Thiti Saengsang said: ‘This was not self-harm – someone caused the deaths. We are tracing every step since they got off the plane.’

Forensic police chief Lt. Gen. Trairong Piwpan said a mass suicide was unlikely because some of the victims had arranged future things for their trip, such as guides and drivers. 

He added that the bodies were not grouped in the same place – some were in the bedroom, some in the living room – suggesting that they did not knowingly consume poison and wait for their death together. 

Five of the dead who had checked in at the hotel were named by police as females Chong, Thi Nguyen Phuong and Thi Nguyen Phuong Lan. Two dead men were Dinh Tran Phu and Hung Dang Van. 

The sixth, who was not registered to stay with them, has not been named.

Officers said a seventh person whose name was part of the hotel booking was identified by police as a sibling of one of the six victims, who left the country on July 10. Police believe the seventh person had no involvement in the deaths. 

The mysterious circumstances surrounding the deaths of the three men and three women fuelled wild rumours, with several local media outlets initially reporting a mass shooting incident.

But photos released by police of a bloodless crime scene showed plates of untouched Thai food, and two spiked thermos flasks and cups.

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, Metropolitan Police Commissioner Thiti Saengsawang said. 

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 authorised to release information. 

Initial post-mortem results said the bodies contained cyanide and had purple lips, suggesting they had been poisoned and suffered from oxygen deprivation.  

Police said there were no signs of a struggle, and that the residents of the room where the bodies had seemingly already packed their luggage in anticipation of their checkout. 

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.

The staff saw one woman receive the food the day before, and security footage showed the rest arriving one by one shortly after. There were no other visitors, no one was seen leaving and the door was locked.

Thiti added the deaths appeared to have occurred about 24 hours before police arrived on the scene Tuesday evening after being called by hotel staff.

Thailand’s Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin immediately ordered an investigation into the deaths and personally visited the hotel yesterday to discuss the case with investigators. 

Thailand’s economy is heavily reliant on tourism and Thavisin said he does not want the mystery deaths to negatively impact the country’s image as a welcoming destination for holidaymakers.

Some of the six foreigners appeared to be on their first trip to the country, while others appeared to be return visitors, he added.

Chong is said to have visited Thailand some five times on a US visa. 

Vietnam’s foreign ministry confirmed four of the dead were Vietnamese nationals and its embassy in Thailand was coordinating closely with authorities. 

‘We hope that the victims’ families soon overcome this great loss,’ foreign ministry spokesperson Pham Thu Hang said.

Meanwhile, US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said officials are aware of the reports of the deaths of two US citizens in Bangkok.

Police said the US Federal Bureau of Investigation had assisted with the investigation. 

The Vietnamese and United States Embassies have been contacted over the deaths, and the American FBI is involved in the investigation, said Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin.

The incident comes as Thailand looks to further promote its tourism sector, a key driver of Southeast Asia’s second largest economy.

‘The prime minister ordered all agencies to urgently take action to avoid impact on tourism,’ the Thai government said in its statement.

Thavisin himself refused questions from the press as he arrived at the hotel yesterday, instead making a beeline directly for investigating officers who whisked their leader away from prying eyes for private discussions.

When asked if the news would affect a conference with the Russian Energy Minister at the hotel later today, Srettha said it was unlikely. ‘This wasn’t an act of terrorism or a breach in security, everything is fine.’

Thai authorities are keen to improve the image of the kingdom, whose reputation as a safe tourist destination sometimes takes a hit when grisly crimes are reported. 

In 2023, the country was rocked by reports of a serial killer who had poisoned 15 people with cyanide. Sararat Rangsiwuthaporn, or ‘Am Cyanide’ as she would later be called, poisoned 15 people who she owed money to and became the country’s first female serial killer.

The country has played host to many other sordid and high-profile criminal cases, such as that of French serial killer Charles Sobhraj, nicknamed ‘The Serpent’ and linked to at least two dozen murders – mostly of tourists – in the 1970s.

More recently, the son of a Spanish actor was accused of killing and dismembering the body of a renowned Colombian plastic surgeon on the tourist island of Koh Phangan.

The verdict in the trial is expected in the coming weeks.

Last October, a 14-year-old boy opened fire at the Siam Paragon mall in the same area as Tuesday’s mass poisoning, killing three people.

The shooting came just days before the anniversary of a massacre at a nursery in northern Thailand that left 36 people dead and amid government efforts to bolster tourist numbers.

Some 28 million people visited Thailand in 2023, up from 11 million the year before, but still well down from the 40 million who came in 2019, the last year before the pandemic.

Travel restrictions during the Covid-19 pandemic hammered the kingdom’s vital tourism sector and arrivals have not bounced back as quickly as officials hoped.

Officials hope to hit 35 million visitors in 2024, with a target of $55 billion in revenue.

The scene of yesterday’s dark discovery, the Grand Hyatt Erawan Hotel, is among Thailand‘s most luxurious and sought after tourist accommodations with a reputation for its service.

Located in the Ratchaprasong district – a highly frequented shopping and commercial area in the Thai capital – the hotel is a five-star venue replete with decadent interiors, a huge outdoor pool, a gym and spa complex and a highly rated restaurant. 

It offers sweeping views of the city and besides the commercial attractions is also located adjacent to the Erawan Shrine, a notable religious site known for attracting tourists. 

Hotel administrators are yet to comment on the incident.