Thai police say traces of cyanide discovered alongside 6 victims found dead in a Bangkok hotel room

BANGKOK (AP) — The chief of the Thai police forensic division said Wednesday that police have found traces of cyanide in the coffees of six people found dead in a central Bangkok luxury hotel.

The bodies were found Tuesday in Grand Hyatt Erawan Hotel in downtown Bangkok. Upon checking hotel records, there were no other visitors to the room apart from the six that were found, police said.

Police said records at the Grand Hyatt Hotel showed no other visitors had been to the room where the bodies were found on Tuesday. They had last been seen alive when food was delivered to the room on Monday afternoon. Trairong Piwpan, chief of the Bangkok police forensic division, said that traces of cyanide were found in the empty cups found in the room by police, but initial results of an autopsy are expected Thursday.

Bangkok police chief Lt. Gen. Thiti Sangsawang identified the dead as two Vietnamese Americans and four Vietnamese nationals, and said there were three males and three females.

The suspected motive for the deadly act may have been about money invested with one by a husband and wife, who felt it was not being properly used, said Noppasin Punsawat, Bangkok deputy police chief, citing information obtained from relatives of the victims.