BANGKOK — A British tourist who had been reported missing by his family in the UK was found dead in a Bangkok hotel room, police said.
The man, identified by police as Joshua Kershaw, a British national aged 22, had travelled to Thailand for a week-long holiday. Family members said he was 21 and from Grimsby, Lincolnshire.
He was last in contact with his family on 12 January and was due to return to the UK on Monday. Relatives said he had planned to travel to Pattaya, but never arrived.
Bangkok police said officers from Lumpini Police Station were notified on 13 January of a foreign man found dead in a hotel in the Watthana district.
Police said the body was found in room 303, lying on the bed. No signs of injury, a struggle or ransacking were found in the room.
A hotel housekeeper told police she went to check the room after the guest failed to check out. After receiving no response, she used a master key card to enter and found the man unconscious on the bed before alerting authorities.
Relatives said he was found with a bandage around his arm. The cause of death has not yet been determined and an autopsy is pending.
His mother, Jenny, wrote on Facebook on Monday night:
“As much as my heart is breaking right now. We have now located Josh.
“But unfortunately he was not alive. We are now trying to get his body back to the UK.”
His aunt, Jade, said the family could not repatriate his body until Thai authorities complete their investigation and post-mortem examination.
“He was a cheeky chap and so full of joy,” she said. “He was always happy and there were never any bad moment with him.”
She added that a GoFundMe campaign originally launched to help search for him in Thailand would now be used to cover repatriation and funeral costs.