Thai forensic scientists reveal cyanide murder scheme at Bangkok hotel

“The hotel employees brought the teapot, milk and two bottles of hot water to the room, and the suspect laced the tea leaves with cyanide,” Trirong Phiwpaen, an official of the Royal Thai Police, said at a Wednesday press meet at the Chulalongkorn hospital in Bangkok, the Khaosod reported.

Forensic experts also unveiled several pieces of evidence found at the scene, including a tea bag that is suspected to contain a large amount of cyanide. Normally brewed tea leaves would have a light brown color, but the leaves found at the scene are nearly black, making experts believe that they have been laced with a large amount of cyanide.

“Cyanide dissolved in water would be tasteless, and so drinkers would have no idea. The toxin can take effect within less than five minutes, depending on the dosage. It prevents red blood cells from exchanging oxygen, leading to death. The mouths of cyanide poisoning victims usually have an almond-like smell,” Phiwpaen said.

Chanchai Sittiphan, director of the Chulalongkorn hospital, said there were no other factors that indicated the victims dying from any other cause except for cyanide.

Noppasin Poolsawat, deputy police chief of Bangkok, said the suspect might have brought the cyanide with her when entering Thailand, or bought it inside Thailand through multiple channels.

A police investigation has been opened to check out recent cyanide transactions, though the police said the possibility that the toxin might have slipped through customs undetected cannot be ruled out. The information is expected to be announced once the investigation is complete.

Thai authorities found six bodies in a fifth-floor room of the Grand Hyatt Erawan hotel on Tuesday night after a call from hotel staff around 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday.

Two deceased American nationals were identified as Sherine Chong, 56, and Dang Hung Van, 55, while 4 Vietnamese corpses were identified as Nguyen Thi Phuong Lan, 47, Pham Hong Thanh, 49, Tran Dinh Phu, 37, and Nguyen Thi Phuong, 46, reported Khaosod English.

Thai police said on Wednesday that cyanide poisoning was likely the cause of the deaths of the six victims, with the suspected killer identified as Chong, who was also among the dead.

Noppasin said the case stemmed from business conflicts between Chong and Van, another American of Vietnamese descent, along with a husband and wife couple in the group.

The couple had loaned Chong around ฿10 million ($278,000) to invest in a Japanese hospital project. When the project halted, the couple suspected that Chong was trying to con them out of the money.

“This is a case stemming from personal conflicts, not trans-border crime,” said Noppasin at the press conference.

The Grand Hyatt Erawan is a renowned five-star hotel in Bangkok, boasting 350 rooms. It is located in the Ratchaprasong area, a bustling shopping and entertainment district adjacent to the central Siam neighborhood.