A 28-year-old man from London was on a month-long trip to Thailand when he went missing following an argument with a man he met in a hostel – only for his naked body to be found in the sea
A British lad’s body was discovered completely naked and floating in the sea following what his family described as an “increasingly heated” argument with an unidentified man.
Regan Kelly, 28, from Selsdon in South London, had kicked off his month-long holiday in Thailand, but went missing in the early hours of January 3 shortly after checking in at the Mad Monkey Hostel on Phuket. The hostel’s CCTV picked up some intense footage of Regan having a conversation with what seems to be another tourist – who wasn’t staying at the same accommodation. According to reports, the pair were talking for quite a long stint before things looked to get heated – even though there’s no sound on the video.
Well into the ‘conversation,’ Regan bolted away from the man, as recounted by his sister Laurie Blackall, running down to Patong Beach with the mystery man following closely behind. More footage, this time from a hotel’s security cam right by the beach, which the police passed on to Regan’s family, show Regan running quickly with the unknown man about a quarter of a minute behind him.
Heartbreakingly, the next morning around 10am, a worker stumbled across a man completely naked and bobbing about in the water. It was sadly confirmed by his kin to be Regan, who’d already been reported as missing.
Regan’s sister Laurie and their dad have now flown out to Thailand to learn more about the incident. They’re in talks with authorities and the hostel for any lead that might shed more light on the situation, reports the Mirror.
Laurie told the Mail: “We are not too sure what they were talking about, but the conversation seemed a bit confrontational. There’s no audio but Regan looked visibly upset.” The family has also set in motion a JustGiving fundraiser for bringing Regan’s body back to Blighty for a second autopsy.
“The detective said he has worked tirelessly but I just don’t know if they want to make it out like it was a tragic accident,” Laurie added. “Don’t get me wrong, it could have been an accident, but something is really not sitting right with me.”
She said she and her dad stayed in regular touch with Regan following his December 30 arrival in Thailand, and alarm bells rang when there was no response from January 3.
Laurie made an appeal, stating: “I would like to appeal to this guy and for him to tell us what was said, I want to ask why Regan seemed so upset. Maybe he was just having a passionate conversation, talking about life. Judging by what we saw, they could have been having a very deep conversation. But it seems like it was getting heated towards the end – no physical altercations more verbal.”
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