PHUKET: Police investigators who initially thought they had a murder on their hands now say a Russian man found dead in a ditch at Karon beach might have committed suicide.
Pol Maj Gen Sinlert Sukhum, chief of Phuket police, said on Thursday that evidence obtained by investigators now pointed to suicide as a possibility.
Investigators were told that the deceased had exhibited psychotic behaviour and used marijuana, which might have caused hallucinations, nervous symptoms and other behaviours that led to use of violence, said Pol Maj Gen Sinlert.
According to the man’s Russian wife, her husband had tried to commit suicide several times.
Investigators are gathering more evidence before holding a press conference about the cause of death, said the police chief.
The Russian man, identified only as Ilia, had multiple injuries, including wounds near his eyes, severe bruising around his left ear and deep cuts on both arms. It appeared he had been bludgeoned with a hard object.
His body was found in the ditch near the Naga statue along the road fronting Karon beach on Tuesday.
Doctors estimated he had been dead for at least 8 hours before his body was found.
Police initially believed he had been killed elsewhere and his body dumped there.