PHUKET — Police investigators have identified a foreign female tourist found dead under a large beach umbrella on Kata Beach in Phuket on Wednesday afternoon as Mrs. Karen, an 80-year-old Canadian national.
Upon receiving reports of an unresponsive tourist, officers from Karon Police Station, Phuket Tourist Police, Tourist Assistance Center personnel, and rescue workers quickly arrived at the scene near the Karon Municipality Office, where numerous tourists had gathered.
Initial examination revealed the Caucasian woman was lying face down on a beach towel spread over the sand. Red rashes were observed on her back and legs, but authorities found no signs of a struggle or wounds indicating physical assault. Medical examiners from Vachira Phuket Hospital conducted a preliminary investigation before transferring the body for further examination.
Sarawut Somboon, a lifeguard from Kata Beach under the Karon Municipality, stated that a local vendor alerted staff after noticing the elderly woman had been lying motionless for an unusually long time. “When we checked on her, we noticed her skin had a bluish tint, suggesting she had been deceased for some time,” Sarawut said, adding that she appeared to have been traveling alone.
Investigators confirmed on March 7 that Mrs. Karen checked into a hotel near Kata Beach on March 3 and was scheduled to check out on March 6. Hotel security footage showed that on March 5 at approximately 10:23 a.m., she left her room and asked staff for directions to Kata Beach, departing the hotel with no visible signs of illness.
The preliminary autopsy concluded that she had been deceased for no more than 4 to 6 hours when found. Doctors suspect the cause of death may have been related to elevated body temperature, which prevented her body from properly dissipating heat.
Officials have notified the Canadian Embassy to contact her relatives.
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