American dies in 16th floor plunge

BANGKOK: -- An American plunged to his death from the 16th floor of LC Place building on Soi Lat Phrao 144 in Bang Kapi yesterday afternoon.

The body of Ron McCara, 60, landed on the roof of a parked car about 2pm.

Police said McCara had taken 16 cans of beer to an empty room on the 16th floor of the building and drunk them. Four razor blades were found in the room, along with two buckets of bloodied water. McCara's left wrist was cut.

The American came to Thailand three years ago after his retirement and married a Thai woman identified only as Lek. They lived in the Unites States but visited Thailand twice a year.

The couple went to The Mall department store in Bang Kapi on March 29. McCara bought a gold gift for his wife, and disappeared shortly after.

--The Post 2004-04-04

He might have just been parasailing as suggested by TUTSI,and forgot he didnt have the chute after drinking all that beer.

He might have just been parasailing as suggested by TUTSI,and forgot he didnt have the chute after drinking all that beer.

At least he wasn't at Pattaya.

Well seems it is spreading and reached now Bangkok, or at least Lat Phrao.

Nice gesture so, to go first and buy some gold for the wife.

Personally, I don't care too much about the jumpers, as long as they do not jump

on top of somebody else.

Anyway, it is a way to solve a problem, alas not my way, it is a solution a bit too permanent to me.

why travel half way around the world and jump, i just don't understand, maybe to much of that movie (The Beach) lol,

As usual The Nation has a more detailed report:

American leaps to his death in Lat Phrao

Published on Apr 5, 2004

An American leapt to his death from a Lat Phrao apartment building yesterday, a police officer said. Ron McGarrah, 62, was earlier seen standing on a 16th-floor balcony of the 17-storey MC Place Service Apartments by a maid and a resident of the building. They filed a report with police because work on that floor has not yet been completed.

When the police arrived, McGarrah leapt from the balcony onto a parked car, said Major Boontom Phothisit of Lat Phrao police station.

Police discovered evidence on the 16th floor that the American had cut his wrists and drunk heavily before taking his life. They found bloody razors, 24 empty beer cans, aspirins, and a can containing 15 millilitres of human blood.

McGarragh's common-law wife Lek Collinsworth, 59, identified the body and told police she had been with him for four years. He worked in the computer industry in Illinois, but travelled between Thailand and the United States once every three months, she said.

Lek said that on March 29, she and her husband had gone shopping at the Mall Bang Kapi, which is near the apartment block. "He told me he would wait for me outside a gold shop, while I was chatting with a gold seller. When I came out he had just disappeared, so I filed a missing-person report with the police on March 30," she said. Lek told police she did not know why her husband had committed suicide. "We were not in a fight or anything before he went missing," she added.

He might have just been parasailing as suggested by TUTSI,and forgot he didnt have the chute after drinking all that beer.

At least he wasn't at Pattaya.

Pattaya "suicide" bug is spreading. Is the next epidemic on its way?. Should the Thai government inform the WHO?

McCara bought a gold gift for his wife,...

Lek told police :"We were not in a fight or anything before he went missing," she added.

How much was the gold gift?

Cheap farang, again,...

how much baht weight?

Darn - forgot the plane again

Inspector Lambastard asks:

How much did she have to gain?

What was in his bank account?

Will she be receiving a death benefit?

Where did the can of blood come from?

Was is his?

Sounds like foul play to me...

Inspector Lambastard asks:

How much did she have to gain?

What was in his bank account?

Will she be receiving a death benefit?

Where did the can of blood come from?

Was is his?

Sounds like foul play to me...

was there a thai bf?

How much was the gold gift?

Cheap farang, again,...

britmaveric's question hits the nail on the head. A few baht of weight, but all the Baht he had left. I think it is romantic but preferred Bangkok Post in this case. No picture.

Another one bites the dust!

why travel half way around the world and jump,

Cheaper for a funeral in LOS than the states?

what do the Thai do with the body, do they send it home or what? curious

BTW

I was involved in a little action in Gabon 8 years ago (remember Gent?) and one of our troop was killed, the bureaucracy was so ridiculous that they would not let his body be removed from the country as he hadn't signed his departure card??

His body was kept in a big freezer in the local 'Score' supermarket for 3 months till we managed to get him out (subversivly) and onto a C130 in a huge cardboard box, not exactly respectful, but no alternative as his missus was freaking out by then.

I always sign my departure card soon as I get in a country now.....

Bash

poor old smiffy, he was a larff wun he

I bet she had him offed

I remember last year there was a cremation/service about to start in Rawai (forget the mans name - he was an older farang), he was "single", played the bar scene a bit etc - A Thai BG walked into the service and tried/succeeded? in takeing the gold from around his dead neck - my mate went to the funeral and said the girl had only been with him once (over a month ago), but she should be left the gold as he was her "boyfriend"

Is this NFT B/G?

Bash

kev...tutsi always has respect for the recently departed no matter what their wretched circumstances happened to be...

please...

Sorta messy when you hit the roof of a car from 16 floors up. Jumpers on the west coast of the states have the wonderful Golden Gate Bridge and leave no mess.

"on the west coast (we) have the wonderful Golden Gate Bridge "

Yup, accelerating at 9.8 m/s/s you'll never know what hit you when you reach the water. I'm sure the fish food is appreciated as well!

Seems retiring to LOS with a live-in could be hazardous to your health!

Best bet is to never rent a hotel room with a balcony when you're in Patty these days.....

~WISteve

Best bet is to never rent a hotel room with a balcony when you're in Patty these days

should rather rent a hut next to the beach instead, no balcony to jump, but than again you can drown yourself. lol