British Tourist Found Dead & Naked off Phuket Beach After Mysterious Encounter

[Georgealbert]

 

Picture courtesy of Daily Mail.

 

The grief-stricken family of a British tourist are desperately seeking answers after his naked body was discovered floating in the sea near Patong Beach, Phuket. Regan Kelly, 28, from Selsdon, south London, had been in Thailand for just a few days when the tragedy occurred in the early hours of 3 January.

 

The building surveyor, described by his family as sociable and mature, had arrived in Thailand on 30 December for a month-long backpacking trip. He was last seen alive at the bar of the Mad Monkey Hostel, where CCTV footage showed him in an apparently heated conversation with an unidentified man.

 

Kelly’s sister, Laurie Blackall, revealed that the footage showed Regan visibly upset before abruptly leaving the bar and heading towards the beach. Moments later, the same man, described as a muscly tourist wearing a white t-shirt and shorts, was seen following him.

 

Additional CCTV footage from a nearby hotel showed Regan sprinting towards the beach, with the unknown man following approximately 15 seconds behind. The footage ends there, leaving many unanswered questions about what happened next.

 

The next morning, a watersports instructor discovered Regan’s naked body floating face down in the sea. Thai authorities identified him using photos provided by his family, who had reported him missing earlier that day.

 

Laurie and her father are now in Thailand attempting to uncover the circumstances surrounding Regan’s death. The family is also raising funds to repatriate his body to the UK, where they hope a second post-mortem will shed more light on his final moments.

 

“We just want answers,” Laurie said. “The Thai authorities have said it was drowning, but something doesn’t sit right. We need to understand what happened, and we want him examined by a British coroner.”

 

Laurie described Regan as “mature for his age” and “the most beautiful person,” who would be deeply missed by his friends, colleagues, and family. She added that Regan had been a regular communicator, sending messages and photos since his arrival in Thailand.

 

His sudden disappearance on 3 January, coupled with the mysterious circumstances of his death, has left the family searching for closure. Laurie expressed surprise at seeing her brother upset on the CCTV footage, saying, “He’s in paradise, and it wasn’t like him to get heated like that.”

 

Regan, an experienced traveller who had visited Southeast Asia before, was known for his friendly and outgoing nature. “He wasn’t a reckless party boy,” Laurie said. “He went there to backpack, see the sights, and make friends – not to cause trouble.”

 

 

The family are now appealing for the man seen in the CCTV footage to come forward. “I just want to know what was said,” Laurie said. “Maybe he was just having a passionate conversation, talking about life... Judging by what we saw, they could have been having a very deep conversation. But it seems like it was getting heated towards the end.”

 

Regan’s cousin, Larysa, called his death “absolutely devastating,” adding, “He was such a lovely man, always smiling and laughing. It has broken us all.”

 

The family’s grief has been compounded by a series of tragedies in recent years, including the loss of Regan’s mother in 2016 and three uncles in 2023.

 

A fundraising campaign has been launched to cover the costs of repatriating Regan’s body and arranging his funeral. For now, the family remain in Thailand, searching for the truth and working to bring Regan home.

 

Original article: Daily Mail

 

-- 2025-01-09

 

[KhunLA]

If not naked, skinny dip gone wrong, then one might suspect something afoul, with the obvious.  Wonder if his clothing was recovered ?

 

Guess he wasn't that mature & responsible, no insurance and the usual 'go fund me' set up already.

[norfolkandchance]

I'll be back on page 10.

[Upnotover]

At least they are only after £15k, ought to have a word with the other lot that want 35.

[roo860]

The family are now appealing for the man seen in the CCTV footage to come forward. “I just want to know what was said,” Laurie said. “Maybe it was just a passionate conversation, but something seemed off.”

 

 

Passionate conversation with who?

 

[webfact]

British man’s death in Phuket leaves family searching for answers
by Bob Scott 

 

Picture courtesy of the Daily Mail

The heartbroken family of a British man is desperately seeking the truth after his body washed ashore a Phuket beach. The body of Regan Kelly was discovered on Saturday, January 5, floating in the sea off a Thai beach.

 

The 28 year old South London man’s body was discovered naked and face down merely hours after he was seen dashing out of a bar after a meeting with an unknown man turned heated.

 

Kelly, a 28 year old building surveyor from Selsdon, South London, had just set foot in Thailand for a month-long getaway when he vanished in the early hours of January 3. He was last captured on CCTV at the Mad Monkey Hostel, where he was staying on the idyllic island of Phuket.

 

CCTV footage reveals Kelly in an intense discussion with a man who appeared to be a fellow tourist, yet not a fellow guest at the hostel. Over several hours, the conversation became “increasingly heated,” Regan’s family revealed.

Laurie Blackall, Kelly’s sister, revealed the heated debate between her brother and the stranger to the MailOnline.

“We are not too sure what they were talking about but the conversation seemed a bit confrontational. There’s no audio but Regan looked visibly upset.”

After abruptly leaving the bar, Kelly headed towards the sun-kissed sands of Patong Beach, with the unknown man trailing behind only moments later.

A nearby hotel’s security cameras caught the unsettling sight of Regan sprinting, followed by the mystery man a mere 15 seconds later. But then, the footage abruptly cuts off, leaving a haunting gap in the timeline.

 

The following day, at 10am, a watersports instructor stumbled upon a tragic sight: Regan’s lifeless, naked body face down in the waves off Patong. With clothes and belongings nowhere to be seen, and his phone missing, Regan’s identity was confirmed through police photos sent to his family, who anxiously reported him missing when they hadn’t heard from him.

 

Laurie, joined by her father, is now in Thailand, desperately piecing together the events leading up to her brother’s untimely demise. They are particularly focused on his conversation with the mystery man, believed to be the last person to see Regan alive.

 

Determined to uncover the truth, the family has also launched a fundraiser to bring Regan’s body back to the UK for a second post-mortem, said Laurie.

 

“The detective said he has worked tirelessly. I just don’t know if they want to make it out like it was a tragic accident. Don’t get me wrong, it could have been an accident, but something is really not sitting right with me.”

Kelly, who regularly messaged his family since landing on December 30, had assured them with holiday snapshots, showing off his adventures and letting them know he was safe. But, when they didn’t hear from him on January 3, they felt a chilling sense of dread.

 

Describing the man in pursuit as a fellow tourist, Laurie said, “He wore a white t-shirt and shorts and was muscly.”

Laurie is appealing to this mystery man, urging him to step forward and reveal what was said in those final moments.

 

“I would like to ask why Regan seemed so upset.”

 

Despite the intense conversation, Laurie was taken aback by the video.

 

“He’s in paradise and he’s worked so hard to get there. It wasn’t like him to be heated like that. He’s very sociable and not a reckless party boy. He’s an experienced traveller who had explored Southeast Asia before. He’s a professional, he’s not a lager lout.”

A qualified building surveyor, Regan was known among friends and coworkers as “mature for his age” and “the most beautiful person.”

 

His cousin Larysa describing him as a “lovely man with a loud laugh that would light up the room.”

Despite Thai police ruling the official cause of death as drowning, Regan’s family insists on a British coroner’s opinion, said Laurie.

 

“We want him to be examined properly. You don’t know how thorough they are.”

 

The Kelly family has launched a JustGiving page to cover the substantial costs of bringing Regan home and arranging his funeral.

 

Source: The Thaiger

-- 2025-01-09

 

 

[Liverpool Lou]

35 minutes ago, KhunLA said:

If not naked, skinny dip gone wrong, then one might suspect something afoul, with the obvious.  Wonder if his clothing was recovered ?

Depending on the type of, probably, light clothing that he was wearing at the time, sea movements can easily remove clothing from a floating body particularly the type shown in the first photo of him in the OP.

[Gottfrid]

40 minutes ago, webfact said:

Despite Thai police ruling the official cause of death as drowning,

Might be a little bit too quick to do that, as it seems they not even found or interviewed the other man following him.

[newbee2022]

2 hours ago, Georgealbert said:

He was last seen alive at the bar of the Mad Monkey Hostel, where CCTV footage showed him in an apparently heated conversation with an unidentified man.

That is saying all. 

Being drunk and have a heated conversation with another (Thai) man. Stupid

[ronster]

Have they tried tracking his phone and why did the family report him missing so quickly. Sounds like about less than 24 hours and they reported him missing.

[smew]

Suicide, case solved. Next please…

[PomPolo]

2 hours ago, webfact said:

Despite Thai police ruling the official cause of death as drowning

 

Suicide - case closed

[Mark989]

“The Thai authorities have said it was drowning"

What do they base that conclusion on?

 

[Scouse123]

2 hours ago, roo860 said:

The family are now appealing for the man seen in the CCTV footage to come forward. “I just want to know what was said,” Laurie said. “Maybe it was just a passionate conversation, but something seemed off.”

 

 

Passionate conversation with who?

 

 

 

With the other tourist who he was engaged with in conversation.

 

Did you read the article?

[Scouse123]

14 minutes ago, Mark989 said:

“The Thai authorities have said it was drowning"

What do they base that conclusion on?

 

 

Water in the lungs???

[Joe Boy Walton]

2 hours ago, webfact said:

idyllic island of Phuket

If you believe that I have a small rock in the middle of the Australian desert for sale.

[Patong2021]

2 hours ago, KhunLA said:

If not naked, skinny dip gone wrong, then one might suspect something afoul, with the obvious.  Wonder if his clothing was recovered ?

 

Guess he wasn't that mature & responsible, no insurance and the usual 'go fund me' set up already.

Did you read the story?

Why was he being chased?

Strong likelihood that he was assaulted.

[quake]

R.I.P

Hope they find out what happened.

[Sheryl]

30 minutes ago, newbee2022 said:

That is saying all. 

Being drunk and have a heated conversation with another (Thai) man. Stupid

No indication he was drunk

 

As for the other man being Thai:

 

"CCTV footage reveals Kelly in an intense discussion with a man who appeared to be a fellow tourist"

[Sheryl]

Given all the questions surrounding this incident, entirely possible his grieving family will be reading this thread.

 

Hateful posts/posts with unfounded  speculation have therefore been removed.

 

Please show some respect.

[mancub]

24 minutes ago, Mark989 said:

“The Thai authorities have said it was drowning"

What do they base that conclusion on?

 

Not wishing to tarnish their image and harm tourism .........

[roo860]

13 minutes ago, Scouse123 said:

 

 

With the other tourist who he was engaged with in conversation.

 

Did you read the article?

Yes I did, it was the 'passionate' bit, normally that's with a female.

[mancub]

3 minutes ago, roo860 said:

Yes I did, it was the 'passionate' bit, normally that's with a female.

Or money or politics......

[newbee2022]

9 minutes ago, Sheryl said:

No indication he was drunk

 

As for the other man being Thai:

 

"CCTV footage reveals Kelly in an intense discussion with a man who appeared to be a fellow tourist"

I would advice you to read my posts always carefully.

I didn't write a Thai man was involved, but you stated it right this man "appeared" to be a fellow tourists. It's not said he was a fellow tourists. So stop insinuating.

Sitting in a bar drinking water seems to be unlikely, especially in holidays being a Brit. This is not meant as a discrimination but experience.

[DualSportBiker]

3 hours ago, KhunLA said:

If not naked, skinny dip gone wrong, then one might suspect something afoul, with the obvious.  Wonder if his clothing was recovered ?

 

Guess he wasn't that mature & responsible, no insurance and the usual 'go fund me' set up already.

Where does it say he had no insurance? Nowhere - you dragged the thought out of a dark dank place. There are multiple levels of insurance and only a few ever buy the 'repatriate my dead body' option - especially at 28 years old. 

 

Do everyone a favour and keep your assumptions to yourself.

[PomPolo]

14 minutes ago, Sheryl said:

Given all the questions surrounding this incident, entirely possible his grieving family will be reading this thread.

 

Hateful posts/posts with unfounded  speculation have therefore been removed.

 

Please show some respect.

I totally agree with this, however I think some of the posts are more about being skeptical how the incident will be dealt with by the authorities rather than being hateful.  It is a terrible thing when anyone dies especially that far away from home and their relatives have to deal with the loss.

[hotchilli]

2 hours ago, Gottfrid said:

Might be a little bit too quick to do that, as it seems they not even found or interviewed the other man following him.

Quick but convenient and non-embarrassing for the image of Thailand.

[G_Money]

Could this of been an alcohol related incident?

[mancub]

8 minutes ago, newbee2022 said:

Sitting in a bar drinking water seems to be unlikely, especially in holidays being a Brit. This is not meant as a discrimination but experience.

So you wouldn't expect to witness an American, Swede, Dane. Aussie. German .....on holiday...in a bar....drinking anything other than an orange juice,,,,in your non-descrimatory experience ?

[newbee2022]

5 minutes ago, mancub said:

So you wouldn't expect to witness an American, Swede, Dane. Aussie. German .....on holiday...in a bar....drinking anything other than an orange juice,,,,in your non-descrimatory experience ?

in your non-descrimatory experience ?

What does this mean???🤔