Bangkok Grand Hyatt Erawan murder: Key details revealed so far

Staff stand in the lobby of a hotel where a number of people were found dead in Bangkok, Thailand, Tuesday, July 16, 2024. Photo by AP

What happened?

On Tuesday, six bodies were discovered in room 502 at the Grand Hyatt Erawan Bangkok by hotel staff after they failed to check out.

The deceased were last seen alive on Monday afternoon. Security camera footage revealed that cleaning staff entered room 502 at 1:01 p.m. on Monday and subsequently delivered food as requested. Sherine Chong, an American of Vietnamese descent and the room’s occupant, received the food from the staff. She declined an offer from the staff member to make tea and was alone when the staff member left at 1:57 p.m.

Security footage captured the others arriving one by one shortly thereafter. By 2:17 p.m., all six individuals had arrived at the room, with no other visitors seen, no one observed leaving, and the door locked.

Who were involved?

The deceased were identified as Sherine Chong, 56, and Dang Hung Van, 55, both holding U.S. passports. The four other victims were Vietnamese nationals: Nguyen Thi Phuong Lan, 47; Pham Hong Thanh, 49; Tran Dinh Phu, 37; and Nguyen Thi Phuong, 46, according to Khaosod English.

Chong has been deemed the suspected killer, Thai media reported.

Sherine Chong’s passport photo. Photo courtesy of Thailand police

Hotel records indicate the group had reserved five rooms for seven people, but only five checked in, and six bodies were found.

Thai authorities had been searching for the seventh person in the group. Pol Maj Gen Teeradej Thamsuthee provided an update on Wednesday that this individual, a sister of one of the victims who returned to her country on July 10, has been determined to be unrelated to the case.

What was found inside the room?

The deceased’s bags were packed, and their suitcases were near the front door. Bangkok police chief Lt. Gen. Thiti Sangsawang stated on Tuesday that four bodies were in the living room and two in the bedroom, with two appearing to have tried reaching the door but collapsed before they could.

He noted that the food ordered earlier from room service was untouched, though the drinks had been consumed.

Lt. Gen. Trairong Piwpan, chief of the Thai police force’s forensic division, stated on Wednesday that traces of cyanide were found in the cups and thermoses.

“We found cyanide in the teacups, all six cups we found cyanide,” he said at a press conference. “After staff brought tea cups and two hot water bottles, milk and tea pots… one of the six introduced cyanide.”

Initial autopsy results of the six bodies performed at Bangkok’s Chulalongkorn Hospital later confirmed the presence of cyanide. Kornkiat Vongpaisarnsin, head of the forensic medicine department at Chulalongkorn University’s medical school, stated that cyanide was found in all six bodies’ blood, and a CAT scan showed no signs of blunt force trauma, supporting the poisoning hypothesis.

Chulalongkorn’s dean of medicine Chanchai Sittipunt said the team knows enough from the cyanide to determine it’s likely the cause of death.

What was the motive?

Interviews with relatives of the deceased indicated there may have been a dispute among the group over debt related to an investment, police stated.

Citing information obtained from relatives of the deceased, police said a husband and wife among the dead had invested approximately 10 million baht (US$278,000) with two others in the group, pointing to a potential financial motive. The investment was intended to fund a hospital in Japan, and the group might have been meeting to resolve the issue.

What will happen next?

Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin urged a swift investigation into the incident on Tuesday to minimize its impact on Thailand’s travel sector.

Investigators from the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation will collaborate with Thai police to investigate the case, according to Srettha.

The government of Vietnam also stated its embassy in Bangkok is closely coordinating with Thai authorities on the case, while the U.S. State Department reported it is monitoring the situation and that local authorities are responsible for the investigation.