Picture courtesy of Nottingham Post

The body of a 21-year-old British tourist who had been reported missing in Thailand has been found, prompting his family to begin arrangements to bring him back to the UK. His mother confirmed the development on Wednesday, 21 January 2026, describing the situation as “heart breaking” and saying efforts are now focused on repatriation.

The young man had been reported missing after losing contact with family and friends following his arrival in Thailand. He was reported to have been in the tourist town of Pattaya on 12 January 2026 and was due to fly home from Bangkok on 19 January 2026, but failed to board his scheduled flight at 8.30pm.

After a missing persons report was officially filed, police classed him as a high-risk missing person and a search was launched. His family also started a GoFundMe appeal to help locate him, as concerns grew over the prolonged lack of contact.

In a Facebook post issued on the morning of 21 January, his mother said: “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.” The family has not released further details about the circumstances of his death.

Pattaya City Police confirmed they had recorded a missing person report involving a 21-year-old British national. Police identified the missing person as Mr Joshua Kershaw, aged 21, a British national. Officers stated he was last heard from on 12 January 2026 at around 10.30pm, when he made a telephone call to his mother in the UK, after which no further contact was possible.

Authorities said Mr Kershaw’s reported last known location is believed to have been in the Walking Street area of Pattaya. The report was recorded by Police Lieutenant Kriengkrai Kaewpipob and logged under reference EV70123256903004U.

The investigation was overseen by Pol Col Anek Sratongyu, Superintendent of Pattaya City Police Station, and Pol Lt Col Arut Saphanont, Deputy Superintendent of Investigation. Police had said enquiries were ongoing and had issued an appeal to the public for information before confirmation emerged that a body had been found. No further details on where the body was found and cause of death has been released.

Picture of Pattaya Police missing persons notice

Key Takeaways

• A 21-year-old British tourist missing since 12 January 2026 has been found dead.

• His family confirmed the discovery on 21 January and is seeking to repatriate his body to the UK.

• Pattaya City Police had opened a missing person investigation after a week of no contact.

  

Adapted by ASEAN Now from Nottinghampost 2026-01-22

 

 

He was found in his hotel room

Too young to die on vacation.

RIP

They created a Gofundme while he was missing?

It is fortunate that modern tech allows people to keep in touch both easily and cheaply, I was on my travels for weeks in my past without calling home at all.

Sad to hear this kid was found dead, hope we get more information about the circumstances.

UPDATE

British Tourist Found Dead in Bangkok After Being Reported Missing

Pictures courtesy of The Sun

A 21-year-old British holidaymaker has been found dead in Bangkok, bringing a tragic end to a search by his family. Joshua Kershaw, from Grimsby in Lincolnshire, had been travelling alone and was due to return to the UK on Monday. His death has prompted an investigation by local authorities, with the cause not yet determined.

Joshua flew to Bangkok for a week’s holiday and was last seen on 12 January, when he was expected to continue travelling to the tourist town of Pattaya and his family initially believed he had gone there as planned. Concerns grew when he stopped responding to phone calls and messages from his mother, Jenny, who he usually spoke to daily.

After losing contact, Jenny contacted the police over the weekend to report him missing. On Facebook, she later confirmed the devastating outcome, writing: “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.” Joshua had been staying in a hotel in Bangkok, where staff discovered his body in his room and had never gone to Pattaya.

Family members said Joshua was found in his bed with a bandage around his arm on 14 January, two days after he last spoke to his mother. Because the family had informed the British Embassy that he had gone to Pattaya, the search initially focused there, delaying efforts in Bangkok. The family described the situation as an “unimaginable nightmare,” worsened by the delay in locating him.

The cause of death is currently unknown, and an investigation and post-mortem examination are under way. Joshua’s aunt, Jade, said the family cannot bring his body back to the UK until these procedures are completed. She described him as “a cheeky chap and so full of joy,” adding that he was always happy and left behind four younger sisters who loved him deeply.

Relatives said Joshua loved travelling and would often work for a few months before heading abroad again. On the day he arrived in Thailand, he phoned home to say he was fine and spoke to his mother about his journey before heading out to get food. When he failed to board his return flight to Heathrow, Jade drove five hours to London to check whether he had landed, just in case.

Key Takeaways

• Joshua Kershaw, 21, was found dead in a Bangkok hotel after he was last seen on 12 January.

• The cause of death is unknown and a post-mortem must be completed before repatriation.

• Initial searches were delayed after his family believed he had travelled on to Pattaya.

  

Adapted by ASEAN Now from The Sun 2026-01-22

 

 

RIP young man 💔

This is going to be an interesting medical exam result.

RIP to the young man... but it is a strange story... Seen last time on Monday 12th January.. nothing heard anymore till over the weekend That is 17/18 January than).. On 14 January family members find him in a hotel room in Bangkok with a bandage on the bed...not alive anymore....

Did the hotel not notice anything? I suppose there is room cleaning daily.. Where did the family suddenly come from who found him, as he was travelling alone? His mother reported over the weekend ( 17/18 January) How could they have found him the 14th ??

Last Monday he would fly back to London, but did not show up...

I am confused and have many questions.. or there is information missing

7 minutes ago, ikke1959 said:

RIP to the young man... but it is a strange story... Seen last time on Monday 12th January.. nothing heard anymore till over the weekend That is 17/18 January than).. On 14 January family members find him in a hotel room in Bangkok with a bandage on the bed...not alive anymore....

Did the hotel not notice anything? I suppose there is room cleaning daily.. Where did the family suddenly come from who found him, as he was travelling alone? His mother reported over the weekend ( 17/18 January) How could they have found him the 14th ??

Last Monday he would fly back to London, but did not show up...

I am confused and have many questions.. or there is information missing

It states the family reported he was found on the 14, no where does it say the family found him.

“Joshua had been staying in a hotel in Bangkok, where staff discovered his body in his room”

Omg this is a very very sad tragedy

I thought it was Pattaya they found him ??

I'm a little confused

11 minutes ago, georgegeorgia said:

I'm a little confused

That should be of little or no concern, its how you appear to be with each post you make. 😂

Drugs? Many died alone in hotel rooms in recent years in BKK after having purchased it.

Probably drugs or suicide. But I guess they will find out soon. RIP.

3 hours ago, Georgealbert said:

and had never gone to Pattaya.

That's the saddest part.

2 hours ago, Georgealbert said:

It states the family reported he was found on the 14, no where does it say the family found him.

“Joshua had been staying in a hotel in Bangkok, where staff discovered his body in his room”

Indeed.. i misread it.. good correction thx

Post breaking forum rules

@georgegeorgia rule 17.News articles are collected from recognised sources and may be consolidated or rewritten with AI assistance. Respectful discussion of the article content is welcome. Disrespectful comments about the articles, the use of AI, or the news team (e.g. “clickbait,” “slow news day,” mocking grammar, or AI taunts) are not permitted. Posts breaching this rule will be removed, and posting suspension or account closure may result. If you see an error in an article, please use the report function.

2 hours ago, BuffaloRider said:

Drugs? Many died alone in hotel rooms in recent years in BKK after having purchased it.

Is the drugs on the streets in Bangkok laced? Probably, right?

6 minutes ago, save the frogs said:

Is the drugs on the streets in Bangkok laced? Probably, right?

Well in the previous times it was reported it appeared to be so yes. Mostly not in thai news just home country news.

5 minutes ago, save the frogs said:

Is the drugs on the streets in Bangkok laced? Probably, right?

instead of guessing why not go find out from personal experience then you can report back with facts instead of assumptions

1 minute ago, stupidfarang said:

instead of guessing why not go find out from personal experience then you can report back with facts instead of assumptions

Those are not assumptions, that was the outcome in previous BKK cases, as well during covid alone in southern island there has been dozen cases. They rarely ever make it in the thai news. Every month a few.

3 hours ago, georgegeorgia said:

Omg this is a very very sad tragedy

I thought it was Pattaya they found him ??

I'm a little confused

When he spoke to his mother in the 12th, he said he was going to Pattaya. So they assumed he had and that this is where he went missing. Turns out he never left Bangkok, body was found in his Bangkok hotel on the 14th. But took a week for news to reach his family despite missing persons alert. (So much for the utility of the TM30...should have been easy enough for Thai authorities to identify his last whereabouts. For that matter, hotel should have had copy of his passport even if original not found in the room, and authorities should have informed UK Embassy). )

UPDATE

Final CCTV Images Shows Brit’s Last Hours Before Bangkok Hotel Death

Picture courtesy of The Sun taken from CCTV

CCTV footage has emerged showing a British tourist in his final hours before he was found dead in a Bangkok hotel, deepening the mystery surrounding his death. The footage captures 21-year-old Joshua Kershaw after a night out, just hours before his body was discovered, prompting renewed attention from investigators and raising questions about his final movements.

Joshua, from Grimsby in Lincolnshire, checked into the Maxim’s Inn on Sukhumvit 7/1 on the evening of January 12. He had planned to travel on to the tourist town of Pattaya, but his plans were cut short when hotel staff found him dead the following afternoon.

According to police, Joshua’s body was discovered by hotel maids, who immediately alerted officers. Emergency responders attempted to resuscitate him at the scene, but he was pronounced dead. His cause of death has not yet been revealed by authorities.

Security footage from the evening of January 12 shows Joshua drinking in a bar opposite his hotel about an hour after he checked in. In the footage, he is seen sitting with a woman before later in the night eating pizza and fried chicken, washing the food down with several beers.

Later that night, Joshua collapsed inside the bar. An ambulance was called and rushed him to hospital, where bar staff reportedly believed he may have eaten too quickly and choked on his food.

One witness at the bar said he had arrived with a woman.“They sat in a corner of the restaurant, next to the pool table,” she said. “He ordered pizza, fried chicken and beer for two people and he ate very quickly, as if he were extremely hungry.

“At about 01:30, he then fell off his chair and collapsed, losing consciousness,” she said. “The woman screamed and the bar owner needed to help calm her down and called for an ambulance from Chulalongkorn hospital.”

The witness said the woman went with him in the ambulance. It was reported that Joshua later discharged himself and is understood to have returned to the busy bar area, drinking until 5.45am when he was seen returning to his hotel room, carrying some more beers. No official confirmation has been given on whether the earlier choking played any role in his death.

The investigation also took a further turn when police revealed that a man arrived at the hotel later, looking for Joshua, only to be informed that he had already died. The identity of this man remains unknown and officers have not disclosed whether he is considered a witness or person of interest.

The Sun reported that police have confirmed that inquiries are ongoing and that all evidence, including CCTV footage and witness statements, is being reviewed. No signs of forced entry or immediate foul play have been publicly reported and authorities have stressed that the investigation is continuing.

Key Takeaways

• Joshua Kershaw, 21, was found dead in a Bangkok hotel after a night out on January 12.

• CCTV shows him drinking, eating and later collapsing in a bar opposite his hotel.

• Police have not released a cause of death and are investigating an unidentified man who asked for him.

  

Adapted by ASEAN Now from The Sun 2026-01-22

 

 

Quite a tragedy. Way too young. What a waste of a life.

There are an infinite number of possibilities ranging from drug overdose, to liver failure from drinking too much, to suicide, murder, or numerous other causes. I hope for the sake of the family they're able to sort it out. No parent should ever have to bury their child.

For once it's worth reading the attached Sun story, quite a night he had one way and another.

34 minutes ago, spidermike007 said:

What a waste of a life.

Waste that was expelled from the gene pool by the good ole Darwin filter it seems^^

According to the update, he was hospitalized after collapsed in an eating establishment. As a result, he left the hospital and started drinking again. Looks like he had a death wish.

11 hours ago, jacko45k said:

I was on my travels for weeks in my past without calling home at all.

Good old times, travel was still adventure, a bit.

2 hours ago, toxictotoro said:

Waste that was expelled from the gene pool by the good ole Darwin filter it seems^^

"toxic" you are ...

I came to Thailand my first time at around that age. It is a dangerous place for the young and wild type. Intoxicating and and I was overwhelmed. I had never seen a beautiful woman before that wasn't a woman. I spent all night with her drinking and fantasizing. A nice bloke set me right and luckily he was persistent because I was determined to take her home and she had friends.

RIP

so sad. with a young family, what was he thinking? at that age i didn't even know sex tourism was a thing.