A Danish Tourist In Phuket went missing and found dead

[NBT TV Phuket]

The Phuket Tourist Police and Danish Consul in Phuket informed Andaman News TV11 Phuket that a Danish national Henrik Rasmusen, 47, with Down's syndrome, has been missing since 27th January, when he was staying at Royal Paradise in Patong. There is cause for great concern as he has limited funds, limited medication and a mental age of 12 years. He is tall, thin, has grey hair and a grey moustache. Anyone with information that may help locate Mr Rasmusen is urged to contact

Kenneth Karlsson, Danish Honorary Consul to Phuket,

086 2732274 Tel/fax: 076 378365

c/o Andaman News, TV11 Phuket 8.30am weekdays

Photos with Thai language notice is attached below

[NBT TV Phuket]

Tourist Police volunteer just reported that he has been apparently spotted near Jintana Resort in Patong (he was sleeping rough there about three or four nights ago) and in Soi Sansabai about 2 days ago.

[khunandy]

I would think with that sort of disability he would have a carer of some sort

[ozymandious]

I would think with that sort of disability he would have a carer of some sort

Here's the story from the Gazette http://www.phuketgazette.net/news/index.as...5&display=1

it doens't say but I think he just wanderd away from his cousins...

Poor guy hope he's found safe and sound.

[NBT TV Phuket]

We have just confirmed a report with Danish Honorary Consul that Henrik has been found dead in Phuket.

We pass on our condolences to his family and thank those that tried to help...

[donna]

oh i cant believe this. the poor fellow. i hope that whoever did this to him rots in hel_l. such a sad outcome to this story.

may he rest in peace.

[naka]

oh i cant believe this. the poor fellow. i hope that whoever did this to him rots in hel_l. such a sad outcome to this story.

may he rest in peace.

Best re-read the previous post.

Naka.

[LivinLOS]

RIP.

Was there any information about his demise ?? Was he beaten or injured ??

Seems most odd he wasnt found in 10 days just in Patong..

[khunandy]

We have just confirmed a report with Danish Honorary Consul that Henrik has been found dead in Phuket.

We pass on our condolences to his family and thank those that tried to help...

That is very sad news indeed, poor fellow. My condolences to his family and friends.

[sbk]

That is so sad, there is nothing to indicate that anything was "done" to the man so far, so lets not jump to conclusions without any information.

Very sad for his family. What a difficult time they must have been going through these past days, and, unfortunately, are still going through.

[Ping]

Yes they will be feeling all the worse for the fact that he managed to wander away from them. For their peace of mind, let's hope it was natural causes.

[LivinLOS]

That is so sad, there is nothing to indicate that anything was "done" to the man so far, so lets not jump to conclusions without any information.

My apologies that wasnt my intention..

But people dont just die of natural causes in a matter of days.. Now whether it was illness, starvation, thirst, etc all just seem strange for someone in only the Patong region.

Just strikes me as odd that the Police found my nicked bike (once I offered them a cash reward) in a matter of hours, yet a mentally challenged guy didnt stand out enough.

[geriatrickid]

This is a very odd story. I'm going to choose my words wisely so as to not upset anyone, but I have a terrible feeling about this story. Looking at the photo, reading the description of mental capacity of a 12 year old (which is quite good for Down's Syndrome) and the fact that he was looking for a lost phone (i.e. must have been intelligent enough if he had a phone), I think it was a very mild case and that he was functional. As such, while he might have become confused or experienced mild panic, he was still able to take care of himself. When I first read this I though, jeez I doubt that he spoke any english so he certainly couldn't answer to people if they spoke to him and I hope some idiot didn't misunderstand this inability to communicate and take offense etc.

However, if he was living rough,as reported. the combination of malnutrition and dehydration may have been the culprits. He probably was unable to communicate that he was lost or to purchase food and water. As dehydration and lack of food sets in with people with frail renal systems and hearts, delerium can take hold adding to the confused state. In his state combined with probable unkempt appearance, people may have avoided him. However, surely, a police office walking around should have seen him? As other people have observed, Patong is a small town and "odd" people are noticed. I just don't understand how it took 10 days to find him. What happens when there is a lost child?

Any word on if there will be an autopsy or investigation?

I feel for his cousin and hope she's not blaming herself. Poor woman was probably trying to give the guy a fun vacation.

Edited February 8, 2008 by geriatrickid

[HDRIDER]

HI

This is from Scannews:

Danish tourist Henrik Rasmussen, 47, who went missing on Phuket, Thailand more than a week agao, was on Thursday evening found dead in a canal on Phuket. Mr Rasmussen, who suffers from Down syndrome, left the Royal Paradise Hotel on January 28 very early in the morning to look for his lost mobile phone

[hagler]

This is one of the saddest reports I have ever read on here.

Regardless of how the man died it must have been a truly frightening and lonely experience for him.

So, So ,So, sad. May his soul rest in peace.

[donna]

Missing Dane found dead

PATONG: The body of Danish tourist Henrik Rasmussen, 47, was discovered late yesterday afternoon in a section of Klong Pakbang behind the Royal Paradise Hotel, police have confirmed.

Mr Rasmussen, who suffered from Down syndrome, left the Royal Paradise Hotel about 4:30 am on January 28 and had not been seen since, his cousin Helen Soerenson had earlier told the Gazette.

Kathu Police Superintendent Col Grissak Songmoonnark said that police believe Mr Rasmussen died at least five days before his body was discovered.

Police also recovered Mr Rasmussen’s wallet, which contained money, as well as a patient’s card issued by Patong Hospital and some slips indicating that he had been a guest at the Royal Paradise Hotel, he said.

There were three wounds to the body: two on the back and a third, about five-centimeters wide, to the right armpit, he said.

The condition of the body made it difficult to know if the wounds had been inflicted by a weapon, he added.

If Rasmussen had been attacked, he might have been hit on the head first, Col Grissak speculated.

“We have to wait for the autopsy results,” he said, adding that the autopsy could take some time due the advanced state of decomposition of the body.

Mr Rasmussen’s nephew Kasper said that his uncle’s body was found in what he described as “a well” located just meters behind the hotel.

His uncle''s body was found by a local resident, coinciding with the reward money offered being doubled to 20,000 baht, he noted.

Mr Rasmussen’s cousin Helen, who had come to Thailand on holiday with him, will stay in Thailand until Mr Rasmussen’s body has been cremated. She will then fly back to Copenhagen with his ashes, he said.

Brought to you by:

The Phuket Gazette

15:04 local time (GMT +7)

[LivinLOS]

There were three wounds to the body: two on the back

His uncle''s body was found by a local resident, coinciding with the reward money offered being doubled to 20,000 baht, he noted.

Am I the only one feeling queesy from this report ??

[phuketsub]

There were three wounds to the body: two on the back

His uncle''s body was found by a local resident, coinciding with the reward money offered being doubled to 20,000 baht, he noted.

Am I the only one feeling queesy from this report ??

You would feel even queasier if you read Thai Rath's account, which said he was robbed and then killed: hit in the neck with a sharp object and nearly decapitated before being robbed then thrown into that rank watercourse (upstream from the water treatment plant)...However, they also described him as a successful business owner (property) that travelled here on his own. I know for a fact that is wrong, so I guess they didn't get all the facts right...It also quoted another policeman as saying he had probably died 10 days before the body was discovered.

All very sad indeed.

[LivinLOS]

I am just having a down on the place week.. You get them sometimes..

But theres this..

Theres my mates getting shot at..

Theres the story fo the woman in Ranong murdering her hubby for the 15m insurance payout..

I was at the airport last night and watched the lime 'mafia' start punching shit out of a farang simply for stopping in the drop off zone.. Then the whole crowd wanted to have a pop and one ran out and kicked in the door of his red plate SUV.. Security come over with 'you go now' to the farang (of course)..

Just all a bit much in a 4 or 5 day span.

[donna]

There were three wounds to the body: two on the back

His uncle''s body was found by a local resident, coinciding with the reward money offered being doubled to 20,000 baht, he noted.

Am I the only one feeling queesy from this report ??

no, youre not the only one who feels sick after reading this. disgusting. how strange that a decomposing body suddenly pops up after the reward money is doubled.

i hope that this gentleman haunts the 'people' who did this to him for the rest of their living days.

[geriatrickid]

If the victim still had his wallet on him, that doesn't jive with a robbery. I have more of a feeling that he may have had an altercation with someone that perhaps took his speech or behaviour the wrong way. In any case, this event is plain awful. Unfortunately, the kind of person that would beat up someone like this usually has no remorse or empathy for the victim, so I doubt he (highly improbable it's a she) will be haunted or give it a 2nd thought, which makes this case even worse, knowing that there is some psychopath walking around.

So what's the prognosis here? The matter get's swept aside, or will there be an investigation? I don't want to hear, we'll get to it excuses from our local bibs. If the cleaners or guards in my building can tell me that hey I saw you walking with Robinson's bags last week, what did you buy then people that are always around the Paradise must have seen this fellow walking around.

[advice]

since the coop, Phuket has become a cess pit. Get out while you still can. no joke.

[phuketsub]

since the coop, Phuket has become a cess pit. Get out while you still can. no joke.

Siang Tai reports that the award recipient was only paid 10,000 baht and was an employee of the hotel out looking for payaya. Amazing anything can grow back there. They quoted a cop as saying there were three possible scenarios as to what happened: 1. He was killed and thrown into the klong. (The cop quoted said he had a large head wound consistent with being it with a heavy object); 2. He was walking back from Patong Hospital and accidentally fell in; 3. He was killed in the hotel and dropped out a window. (he was in a 9th floor room)

They noted that there is a high wall between the hotel grounds to make it very unlikely he could have been killed on the other side then passed over the wall.

Still, they continue to describe him as a successful property developer. The Kathu Police seem to be having a lot of problems communicating with the victim's family...

[sbk]

Topic title amended to show that Mr Rasmussen was found dead.

[sbk]

Off-topic posts have been deleted, lets keep this within the discussion of Mr Rasmussen and his death, please.

[phuketsub]

Off-topic posts have been deleted, lets keep this within the discussion of Mr Rasmussen and his death, please.

Phuket Gazette update

Danish tourist believed murdered: police

PATONG: Kathu Police are now treating as a murder case the death of Danish tourist Henrik Rasmussen, 47, whose body was discovered in a canal behind the Royal Paradise Hotel on February 7.

Citing information from doctors at Patong Hospital who examined the body, Kathu Police Investigations Inspector Pol Capt Pratuang Pholmana told the Gazette he now believes Mr Rasmussen died seven to 10 days before his body was discovered.

Capt Pratuang speculated that Mr Rasmussen died from two wounds caused by a sharp object: a five-centimeter laceration down to the bone on the back of the neck and a wound about 10cm long to the right arm pit.

The body has been sent to Police General Hospital in Bangkok for autopsy.

“We have questioned Mr Rasmussen’s cousin and nephew and I am satisfied that neither of them have anything to do with the death,” said Capt Pratuang.

“We believe that he died on the hotel’s property, but need more time to investigate the case,” he added.

Mr Rasmussen’s body was found more than 100 meters from the hotel grounds, but a wall about 1.7 meters high separates the property from the area where it was discovered.

Although widely reported in the Thai media to have been a real estate developer in Denmark who traveled to Thailand every year on his own, in fact Mr Rasmussen suffered from Down’s syndrome and had traveled to Thailand with his cousin who kept a close watch on him, the Gazette has learned.

The family launched a search effort and contacted the police and the media soon after they realized he was missing on the morning of January 28.

The body was found by Thanapong Sriwisut, 34, at a time when the reward money offered by Rasmussen’s family had just been doubled to 20,000 baht.

The reward money was on February 12 paid to K. Thanapong, who works as a handyman at Royal Paradise Hotel.

K. Thanapong told the Gazette he scaled the wall, without a ladder, to retrieve some papaya growing from a tree behind it when he noticed a foul odor and then noticed the body floating in the klong, the surface of which was choked with aquatic vegetation.

“Not many people are ever in the place where Mr Rasmussen was found. I will question staff at the hotel, including security guards, handymen and anyone else who may have been in that area,” said Capt Pratuang.

Police have been unable to draw any leads from CCTV-camera footage in the hotel because all recorded data is automatically deleted after three days.

[LivinLOS]

"are now treating as a murder"...

"unable to draw any leads from CCTV-camera footage in the hotel because all recorded data is automatically deleted after three days"

Keystone or what ??

[BarryMan]

"are now treating as a murder"...

"unable to draw any leads from CCTV-camera footage in the hotel because all recorded data is automatically deleted after three days"

Keystone or what ??

Does anybody have an update on this? I'm surprised given the spotlight on foreigner murders in Thailand that this case, as horrific and sad as any I've heard of, seems to have fallen back into the shadows.

Can any Phuket correspondent update us on this? Thaivisa seems to be outpacing the newspapers pretty well in terms of getting the info out there on these cases, but for some reason there has been no followup on this one.

The initial report makes this one sound quite heinous indeed.

[LivinLOS]

Whats to report ?? It happened.. The media has left it.. Its over..

You dont actually expect any police work to be done on this do you ??

[BarryMan]

Whats to report ?? It happened.. The media has left it.. Its over..

You dont actually expect any police work to be done on this do you ??

Thanks for that incisive analysis of the way police work in Thailand.

Anybody have anything meaningful to contribute on what has happened with the police investigation into this one?