Bizarre twist after Darwin mum abruptly died in a luxurious Thai lodge room following a wild evening of ardour with a stranger – as consultants sound the alarm a few harmful vacation well being pattern
A mum who mysteriously died in her $700-a-night hotel room in Thailand after a night out with a tourist had been huffing a herbal inhaler just hours beforehand – as authorities pull millions of similar, potentially toxic devices off the shelves.
Karla Drescher, 47, had been staying at the Sawasdee Village Resort in Phuket on October 26 when she went to a bar in Kuta, consumed a large amount of alcohol and had sex with an unnamed German man, 49.
Police believe Ms Drescher, who was on a solo holiday from Darwin, was dead for about eight hours by the time her male companion was woken by cleaners at noon.
He realised she wasn’t breathing and alerted hotel staff. She couldn’t be revived and was pronounced dead by a doctor at about 2.45pm.
The German man tested negative for drugs and nothing suspicious was observed during a physical examination.
A preliminary forensic examination suggested a combination of prescribed medication and alcohol might have led to respiratory failure, according to local media.
However, the Daily Mail can now reveal that Ms Drescher had been given a complimentary Thai herbal inhaler by the resort spa the day before she died.
Karla Drescher, 47, was found dead in her hotel room on October 27
Two days before she died, Karla Drescher told friends she was gifted a Thai herbal inhaler
The inhalers normally comprise menthol, camphor, eucalyptus oil, and borneol, and used to ease congestion, headaches and dizziness
The inhalers normally comprise menthol, camphor, eucalyptus oil, and borneol, and are used to ease congestion, headaches and dizziness.
A week later, Thailand’s Food and Drug Administration seized more than two million illegal herbal inhalers contaminated with dangerous microorganisms.
There’s no suggestion Sawasdee Village Resort gives illegal inhalers to tourists, only that some inhalers in Thailand were illegally manufactured with harmful bacteria.
Thailand’s FDA said test results showed the seized inhalers did not meet quality standards in the microbial contamination test, with levels exceeding permitted limits.
It also contained clostridium bacteria, which can cause gangrene, botulism and food poisoning.
In a TikTok video two days before she died, Ms Drescher was spruiking the benefits of the spa.
‘(There’s a) herbal sauna followed by a cold plunge and a one hour massage, they even give you a cute little herb inhaler to take away,’ she wrote.
Karla Drescher was staying at a $700-a-night hotel in Phuket (pictured)
Pictured: The contents of Karla Drescher’s handbag after she died in late October
In the comments, she wrote: ‘They got me at the little complimentary inhaler, it’s bloody beautiful’.
Medical expert Dr Brad McKay told Daily Mail the risk of using a herbal inhaler from another country far outweighs any benefits.
‘You’re rolling the dice,’ he said.
‘They generally sound like benign substances, but you’re wondering whether it was expired or maybe it was a bad batch, or something more nefarious.’
He said anaphylactic reactions to herbs can restrict the airways, and bacteria from contaminated inhalers can cause a slow onset of symptoms.
Police estimated Ms Drescher’s time of death between 6.30am and 8.30am.
Her body was taken to Vachira Phuket Hospital for a post-mortem examination to determine her cause of death.
Pictured: Karla Drescher’s dressing table, as she left it before she went to a bar and met a German man
Lieutenant Phirawat Yodtor from the local police said Ms Drescher was lying on her bed and there were no signs of a struggle or evidence of any injury.
Prescription medications including antidepressants were located in the room, along with three open cans of alcoholic drinks and two cocktail glasses.
Police questioned a 49-year-old German man who said he and Ms Drescher had been drinking at a bar in Kuta before making their way back to the hotel about 1am.
‘She had consumed a large amount of alcohol,’ the German man told police.
‘We had another drink in the room… sex and went to sleep. Around noon I woke up when cleaning staff knocked on the door.
‘When I went to wake her, she wasn’t breathing.’
Her son Travis Deveraux has launched a GoFundMe appeal to bring his mother’s body home.
Karla Drescher was originally from New Zealand, but she had been living in Darwin
Mr Deveraux told news.com.au he had become concerned for his mother’s welfare when he did not receive a return text message from her.
‘Sadly the way I found out was very wrong,’ Mr Deveraux said.
‘[I received] no contact from police or anyone …[I was] worried about her as she messages me everyday [but] she didn’t reply for 2 days so I called her hotel where she was staying and they said ‘have the police not contacted you? Sadly she has passed’.’
Mr Deveraux said his mother was his best friend and she was ‘healthy and not unwell’ in any way.
‘There is more to what happened than police are revealing,’ he said.
Sawasdee Village Resort told the Daily Mail the products in its spa were not connected to any businesses affected by the recall.
‘Our herbal inhalers are not and have never been manufactured by the company that was in the news last week,’ a spokesperson said.
‘Additionally, they are produced in small batches to ensure their freshness.’
Sawasdee Village room division manager Arpornpan Ruyan added: ‘We will not be providing any information regarding Ms. Karla Anne Drescher to non-family members.’
