Cyanide found in blood of Vietnamese group who died in Bangkok

Thai police identified the suspect who poisoned and murdered the group of Vietnamese people as Sherine Chong, 56 years old, a Vietnamese-American citizen.

On July 17, Thai police held a press conference to announce the initial cause of death of 6 Vietnamese people at the Grand Hyatt Erawan Hotel in the Ratchaprasong area of ​​Bangkok. The bodies of the victims were all sent for testing at Chulalongkorn Hospital and cyanide was found in one person's blood.

Thai PBSLieutenant General Trairong Phewphan, head of the Royal Thai Police's forensic department, said they also took all opened food, six cups of water and two thermoses in room 502 of the Grand Hyatt Erawan hotel where the victims were found for examination.

Tests of the evidence found cyanide in thermoses containing a black liquid resembling coffee and at the bottom of used cups. This poison is capable of causing instant death.

In addition, police also discovered cyanide in the blood of one of the six victims stuck on the wall.

The suspect was identified as one of the six victims - Ms. Sherine Chong, a 56-year-old Vietnamese-American. The cause is believed to be related to the amount of 10 million baht (nearly 280,000 USD). Initially, they arranged to meet in Japan but were unable to get a visa. The group then gathered in Thailand.

"The case likely stemmed from a debt dispute. There is no other possibility. The perpetrators were among the six dead people because they were the only ones who went in and out of the room. There was no one else," said Major General Theeradet Thumsuthee, head of the Bangkok Police Department's investigation department.

According to Major General Noppasin Poolsawat, Deputy Chief of the Bangkok Police Department, the police checked all eight suitcases in the room but found no illegal items. In Ms. Chong's luggage, they found land litigation documents from 2022.

General Poolsawat said that in addition to examining the scene and collecting evidence, Thai police also questioned more than 10 witnesses and relatives of the victims. The preliminary investigation results on the victims' schedules are as follows:

Nguyen Thi Phuong (46 years old), Vietnamese nationality, wearing a white shirt, was found dead near the door of her room. She arrived in Thailand at 1:48 p.m. on July 12 from Ho Chi Minh City and had entered the country 3 times before.

Nguyen Thi Phuong Lan (47 years old), Vietnamese nationality, wearing a pink shirt, was found dead in her bedroom, arrived in Thailand on July 4 at 12:56 from Da Nang, had entered the country 17 times before.

Tran Dinh Phu (37 years old), Vietnamese nationality, was found dead next to the bodies of Ms. Nguyen Thi Phuong and Mr. Dang Van Hung. Arrived in Thailand on July 12 at 12:28 pm from Da Nang, had entered the country 11 times before.

Dang Van Hung, 55 years old, American citizen, wearing navy blue shirt, was found dead near the body of Nguyen Thi Phuong, who first entered Thailand at 9:55 a.m. on July 7 from Taipei, Taiwan (China).

Sherine Chong, 56, an American citizen, was found dead at the dining table. She entered Thailand on July 5 at 1:05 p.m. from Ho Chi Minh City. She had entered the country 5 times before and Chereen was a guest in room 502, the same room where the incident occurred.

Pham Thanh Hong (49 years old), Vietnamese nationality, is the husband of Ms. Nguyen Thi Phuong who was found dead in the room. Entered the country with his wife at 13:48 on July 12 from Ho Chi Minh City.

On July 15, the five victims, besides Ms. Sherine, packed their luggage and gathered in room 502 after checking out of the other rooms. Mr. Hung ordered food from the hotel at 11:42: 5 plates of fried rice, 4 plates of tom yum goong, 4 plates of stir-fried vegetables, 1 plate of stir-fried morning glory, and 2 pots of English tea with 6 cups of tea.

Mr. Phu then ordered another plate of fried rice and requested it to be delivered to his room at 2:00 p.m. The waiter arrived at 1:51 p.m. It took 6 minutes to deliver and serve the food. When the waiter was questioned, she said that when she entered, she only saw Ms. Sherine. The waiter said she would make tea for her, but Ms. Sherine refused and wanted to make it herself.

The waitress said she noticed that Ms. Sherine was quite tense and did not smile, even when she joked about her beautiful dress.

After the waiter left at 13:57, from 14:03 onwards, other victims gradually entered room 502. After that, no one was seen coming or going until the bodies were found.

Mr Noppasin added that he had ordered the investigating agency to thoroughly investigate the itinerary of all the victims from when they arrived in Thailand, where they went, which hotels they stayed in, who they met, what jobs they did and why they came to Thailand.

Regarding the origin of the cyanide found, the police are investigating further to see if it was imported or purchased in Thailand, including the packaging containing the substance before being mixed into the drink. Detailed results will be provided by the Forensic Science Center.

Mr. Panthana Nuchnarat, Deputy Director General of the Thai Immigration Department, said that the agency has coordinated information requests for the Vietnamese and US embassies to serve the investigation.

Meanwhile, the FBI has requested information but the investigation remains with the Thai police. He asserted that none of the victims had an arrest warrant, because if there was one, they would not have been allowed to enter the country anyway. Furthermore, background checks on the victims did not reveal any criminal records.