Thai Police Hunt For Portuguese Men In Phi-Phi Island Hotel Death Case

[webfact]

Noemi Belanger And Audrey Belanger Investigation: Portuguese Men Sought After Gruesome Hotel Deaths

A medical team from Phi Phi Island Hospital place a body on a stretcher at the Phi Phi Palm Residence Hotel on Phi Phi Island on Friday, June 15, 2012. A tiny Quebec town near the border with Maine is still reeling after two of its residents were found dead halfway around the world. Police in Phuket, Thailand say it doesn't appear sisters Noemi and Audrey Belanger were murdered. They believe the two young women may have been accidentally poisoned while vacationing in the southeast Asian country.

PHI PHI ISLAND: -- Thai investigators are looking for two Portuguese men, who were seen on closed-circuit cameras escorting Noemi and Audrey Belanger back to their hotel room, according to the Bangkok Post.

They may have been the last people to see the Quebec sisters alive.

Noemi, 26, and Audrey, 20, were found dead at the Phi Phi Palms Residence Hotel on the popular resort island on June 15.

"Police determined they were dead for about 24 hours prior to that and only found a lot of vomit in the room," Lt. Col. Jongrak Pimthong told The Associated Press.

"There were neither signs of fighting, nor robbery, but we found many kinds of over-the-counter-drugs, including ibuprofen, which can cause serious effects on the stomach."

Initially, local authorities suspected the girls had been poisoned, as findings seemed to suggest a 'toxic substance'.

The Post is reporting that the CCTV footage captures a man taking the sisters back to their room, between 1:10 and 1:14 am. The newspaper identifies the man as 30-year-old Portuguese national Luciano Tinto, who was staying at the same hotel as the Belangers.

Citing a source close to the investigation, The Post reports the sisters were spotted at various night spots on Phi Phi island alongside Tinto and another unidentified Portuguese national.

The Belangers grew up in Pohenegamook near the Maine border in Eastern Quebec, where they worked in the family shop.

Town mayor Louise Labonte described them to the Toronto Star as adventurous and full of promise.

“We lost two brilliant young women,” the mayor told the newspaper Sunday. “It’s of course very difficult for the family and everyone here.”

Relatives of the sisters arrived in Thailand earlier this week. The women's bodies are reportedly back in Canada, according to CBC News.

In the same report, their uncle, Eric Belanger, told the CBC he wasn't certain when the family will learn the results of toxicology tests conducted in Thailand.

Source: http://www.huffingto..._n_1617465.html

-- THE HUFFINGTON POST 2012-06-22

Phuket update: Krabi Police tight-lipped over Belanger case

Phuket Gazette

PHUKET: -- The governor of Krabi has named the provincial police commander as the only person authorized to release information to the media concerning the deaths of Noemi and Audrey Belanger, Canadian tourists who died of apparent poisoning on Phi Phi Island last week, the Phuket Gazette has learned.

Recently-released media reports have revealed that the hotel’s CCTV system captured images of an unidentified man assisting the sisters back to their room at the Phi Phi Palms Residence resort in the early hours of June 13.

The man, believed to be a foreigner, was seen at 1:10am with one sister; then again at 1.14am helping the other, according to the time stamp in the surveillance footage.

These were the last times the two sisters were seen alive.

Reporters attempting to gather information about the unidentified man contacted Krabi Provincial Police Headquarters, where sources said Krabi Police Commander Jamroon Ruenrom was the only point of contact concerning the case.

He was unavailable for comment, they said.

Assisting with the forensic investigation, Dr Jakkarat Pittayawong-anon, a specialist from the Bureau of Epidemiology, Department of Disease Control, arrived with his team on Phi Phi Island on Wednesday to collect more evidence needed to discern the exact cause of the sisters’ deaths.

“I’ve come to inspect the scene at the Phi Phi Palm Residence Hotel where the two sisters died. I will also be examining stores and restaurants in the area.”

“We will collect samples for further examination in the hope that it will provide answers, allowing us to determine the cause of death. Once we have compared our findings against the postmortem examination results we will submit a report to the Krabi Provincial Office and Krabi Public Health Office,” he added.

Source: http://www.phuketgaz...ticle16239.html

-- Phuket Gazette 2012-06-22

[Hostile17]

In the same report, their uncle, Eric Belanger, told the CBC he wasn't certain when the family will learn the results of toxicology tests conducted in Thailand.

in 2024 when a first world country invades thailand

[Lannatyne]

"Accidentally poisoned".

Now, to use the words of a poster on another thread, this does sound fishy.

[Payboy]

Thai investigators are looking for two Portuguese men, who were seen on closed-circuit cameras escorting Noemi and Audrey Belanger back to their hotel room.

So, it takes a week before they can act on security camera footage. I'm guessing it was not so easy to pin this one on Ibuprofen.

[monty1412]

Perry Mason eat your heart out... seems to suggest "toxic substances" what sleuths, what detective work.

Makes the pink panther seem like a serious crime re- enactment.

[Headgame]

"There were neither signs of fighting, nor robbery, but we found many kinds of over-the-counter-drugs, including ibuprofen, which can cause serious effects on the stomach."

Really, ibuprofen is the most dangerous drug they found in their room?

I've never been a basher but this one has finally got to me.

Good god, where is Columbo when we need him.

[maidu]

Let's hope this investigation continues, .....fairly. If possible, there should also be in-depth interviews with anyone (particularly pretty young women) who has gotten very sick in recent weeks/months at Phi Phi. Because nearly all of the grave illnesses and deaths there have been attractive young women, then it indicates a strong possibility a date-rape drug was mis-used, to a fatal degree.

Additionally, the farang men who were seen with them could have been simply assisting two people in distress. - though there appears to be no evidence he/they checked up later to see if the girls were alright. And will be interesting to find whether there was any evidence the men checked with anyone else (clinic/hospital/hotel staff) who could offer assistance to two very sick people. Plus, did the girls (or why didn't the girls) reach out, when they started going under?

[Honkytowner]

"The Post reports the sisters were spotted at various night spots on Phi Phi island alongside Tinto and another unidentified Portuguese national."

If the BiB have yet to locate Tinto, and his companion has not been identified, how do they know he is Portuguese?

[dingdang]

strange... didnt sami-the-scott say in her interview, that this friend who walked them to the hotel has been interrogated already?

all other reports say, the two guys left for phuket "after the girls had died" - even though nobody knows when they died...

other reports also say, the cctv shows the girls coming back to their room feeling not well already...

Edited June 22, 2012 by dingdang

[mrtoad]

The plot thickens, as the BIB try to muddy the waters to ensure that there is no damage to Thai reputation.

[coma]

I don't think that the police may have the Portugese men in their sights as possible suspects but merely want to talk to them to find out the movements and habits of the girls leading up to their unfortunate death. I am actually encourage by this development and feel the BIB are on the job with this one [ please don't burn me hard on this statement guys].It was hard to say believe me. And I also don't believe for a minute that the BIB are actually trying to blame Ibprofen for their deaths either.

Edited June 22, 2012 by coma

[kjelljit]

"Citing a source close to the investigation, The Post reports the sisters were spotted at various night spots on Phi Phi island alongside Tinto and another unidentified Portuguese national."

How do they know it was a Portuguese if he was unidentified?

[coma]

"The Post reports the sisters were spotted at various night spots on Phi Phi island alongside Tinto and another unidentified Portuguese national."

If the BiB have yet to locate Tinto, and his companion has not been identified, how do they know he is Portuguese?

One of them stayed at the same hotel so they would have a copy of his passport I guess.

[TomTom55]

"There were neither signs of fighting, nor robbery, but we found many kinds of over-the-counter-drugs, including ibuprofen, which can cause serious effects on the stomach."

Really, ibuprofen is the most dangerous drug they found in their room?

I've never been a basher but this one has finally got to me.

Good god, where is Columbo when we need him.

You can buy valium, clonazepam, xanax, tramadol, you name it, it can be bought without script in a lot of pharmacies here. If you mix benzos with alcohol and maybe a little opiates, you can get yourself into a very very intoxicated state where you pass out and can choke on your own vomit or die from where your breathing becomes so shallow it eventually stops. I should know, way back I was using valium and other benzos daily and one day I drank a lot of whisky with a lot of benzos and I don't remember 2 whole days after that incident. My GF came back from work to find me in a room full of vomit and with blue lips, but I was not dead luckily. She helped me back to recovery and everything from that point for a good week is hazy. I honestly think these girls maybe were very intoxicated and ended up dying because of it, alcohol plus benzos is really quite a dangerous mix. I could be wrong because they have both died, we shall have to wait and see.

[JoeLing]

Hunting for two Portuguese men? Isn't that a pretty strong statement?

Maybe looking for people who came in contact with the two sisters OK but "HUNTING"?

I hope they have bulletproof wests.

Edited June 22, 2012 by JoeLing

[churchill]

'Assisting with the forensic investigation, Dr Jakkarat Pittayawong-anon, a specialist from the Bureau of Epidemiology, Department of Disease Control, arrived with his team on Phi Phi Island on Wednesday to collect more evidence needed to discern the exact cause of the sisters’ deaths.

“I’ve come to inspect the scene at the Phi Phi Palm Residence Hotel where the two sisters died. I will also be examining stores and restaurants in the area.”'

Quick off the mark ... !

[pointoffew]

Breaking news? No news at all in the article and update, or it should be that Krabi Police Commander Jamroon Ruenrom was (is?) the only point of contact concerning the case.

[Jobiwankenobi]

I want to punch myself in the face after reading this, first off, on last night's Thai news, I saw the CCTV footage of this guy walking with the girls in the hotel hallway back to their room, and he certainly wasn't he "helping" them as the article states, as though he was carrying them or assisting them. He was talking to them, and walking a bit ahead of one of them, thats it. And this article offers no new info, none at all, really.

[ihmmrs]

The fact that they did not seek medical help suggests ingestion of illicit substances.

[shawndoc]

I can't believe the police are still trying to say Ibuprofen is some dangerous drug and imply it may have led to their deaths.

[MobileContent]

ibuprofen - What a joke

[luckyman]

And why did it take almost ten days to come up with this? These guys surely might already be headed home, in time to watch their national team reach the Euro Cup's finals...

[dingdang]

why cant we see the cctv of the sister going back to their room?

its very irresponsible to publish the name together with "hunt"...

they can ask the person as a witness to contact police asap or so...

Edited June 22, 2012 by dingdang

[Iusedtocycle]

Reminds me of the southpark episode where the writers took the mickey of a load of suspected murders in america who all blamed "some Portuguese guy"

[Iusedtocycle]

Errrr, actually, it might have been "puerto rician" guy...

[dingdang]

I want to punch myself in the face after reading this, first off, on last night's Thai news, I saw the CCTV footage of this guy walking with the girls in the hotel hallway back to their room, and he certainly wasn't he "helping" them as the article states, as though he was carrying them or assisting them. He was talking to them, and walking a bit ahead of one of them, thats it. And this article offers no new info, none at all, really.

at what point did the cctv stop?

did he walk further, did he go into the room, did he turn around and go back, how did they say good-bye (waiving, lame nodding...)?

why would one think, the girls werent feeling well on that video?

Edited June 22, 2012 by dingdang

[dingdang]

Errrr, actually, it might have been "puerto rician" guy...

and the other one of "same nationality", as papers said?

[TomTom55]

The fact that they did not seek medical help suggests ingestion of illicit substances.

It stated that over the counter drugs were found, if my personal hunch is correct and all 4 of them were drinking and using things like xanax, valium whatever, these 2 guys could have been intoxicated for days due to benzodiazepine use. It can lead you to make really impulsive decisions and not care about anything for a long while, maybe the 2 guys saw that these girls were dead and literally thought, "shit we need to get out of here"

What gives me this hunch about benzodiazepine and alcohol use resulting in their deaths is the fact that 'over the counter drugs' were found and also the fact they were laying in a room full of vomit which as I have posted already happened to me and I was close to death. Maybe the 2 guys were trying to date rape the girls and put too high of a dose in their drinks..

[supaprik]

"Citing a source close to the investigation, The Post reports the sisters were spotted at various night spots on Phi Phi island alongside Tinto and another unidentified Portuguese national."

How do they know it was a Portuguese if he was unidentified?

Only 6 minutes late...but that's ok for a first post.....welcome to the carnage that is TV

Edited June 22, 2012 by supaprik

[Hellhound66]

strange... didnt sami-the-scott say in her interview, that this friend who walked them to the hotel has been interrogated already?

all other reports say, the two guys left for phuket "after the girls had died" - even though nobody knows when they died...

other reports also say, the cctv shows the girls coming back to their room feeling not well already...

Finally someone get's it - thanks. And she just removed 139 pictures from her Facebook page of people partying with her in Phi Phi and Q Bar where she used to work. Samantha Kay Dundee in case you are interested.

Edited June 22, 2012 by Hellhound66