PUBLISHED : 1 Nov 2023 at 04:00
PHUKET: A Costa Rican-American man was found dead in his room with stab wounds at a hotel in Thalang district on Monday, according to local police.
Pol Capt Warawut Sensop, an investigator with the Choeng Thalay Police Station, said the body of a 35-year-old man, identified from his two passports as Daniel James Artus Jerez, was found at 9.40am inside the hotel on Bangtao Beach in tambon Choeng Thalay.
The hotel manager, whose name was not given, discovered the body after he smelled a rank odour emanating from the man’s room and decided to investigate, according to Pol Capt Warawut.
The body was found lying face-down at the end of the bed. The man had on a pair of shorts, with four stab wounds on the left side of his neck and a large bloodstain on the floor. He was estimated to have been dead for at least 2–3 days due to the state of the body.
His belongings were found to be intact. Police seized as evidence ketamine and cannabis from the man’s bathroom and a 25-centimetre, bloodstained knife near the entrance.
According to the hotel manager, Artus checked in on Aug 30 and paid two months’ rent. He later paid more in advance to further extend his stay and was last seen on Oct 26.
Artus came across as well-mannered but he was often drunk and visibly under considerable stress, the manager said.
Police are investigating the cause of death, said Pol Capt Warawut.