PATTAYA, THAILAND – A 42-year-old British man was found dead in the stairwell of a rented building, prompting a police investigation and a forensic autopsy to determine the exact cause of death.
Location of the discovery and police alert
On 4 April 2026 at around 8:30 a.m., Police Lieutenant Thaksin Akraphong Saenputtawong of the Pattaya City Police received a report of a dead, initially unidentified foreigner in a rented room area on Soi Peniat Chang 11. He notified his superiors and went to the scene with an investigative team, forensic officers from the Chonburi Provincial Police Forensic Division 2 and rescue workers from the Sawang Boriboon Thammasathan Foundation Pattaya.
The building was described as a four-storey commercial property that had been converted into rooms for daily and monthly rentals. The man was found on the staircase between the second and third floors of the property.
Building layout and position of the body
According to the police report, the body was in a seated position, with the head bent forward and leaning against the stair railing. An open wound of about two centimetres was found on the back of his head, and investigators and forensic specialists secured traces at the location.
Officers emphasised that there were initially no indications of a fight or theft related to the case. No signs of a struggle were observed in the stairwell where the man was discovered.
Identity and background of the deceased
The dead man was identified as Mr. Jayden, 42, from Portsmouth in the United Kingdom, with his surname withheld until contact with the embassy and relatives. According to police information, he had previously worked as an online seller of life insurance.
Room 202 on the third floor was assigned to him by the investigators. The room formed part of the rental complex in which the man had been staying in recent weeks.
Condition of the room: no signs of struggle
In room 202, officers reported finding no evidence of a fight or theft. The room showed no signs of forced entry or disorder that would suggest a violent confrontation.
On the bed, police found a bottle of Thai Sangsom liquor, a water bottle and a glass. These items were documented as part of the scene examination by the investigative and forensic teams.
Girlfriend’s account: health issues and heavy drinking
The man’s 39-year-old girlfriend, Ms. Panthiva Nambun from Ubon Ratchathani province, waited at the scene to be questioned and, in tears, told officers she had been living with him in the room since 14 March. She said that when she returned from work, she found him sitting on the staircase near the room and initially thought he was sleeping.
Despite shaking him for a long time, he did not respond, she told police. Only after calling for help did it become clear that he was already dead.
The woman stated that her partner had pre-existing medical conditions, including high blood pressure, and that he consumed large amounts of alcohol on a daily basis. She added that he had quit his job as an online life insurance seller two weeks earlier to prepare for a return to the UK for medical treatment.
According to her account, he had recently often vomited blood when drinking heavily and had shown signs of confusion and memory problems. These health and behavioural changes had reportedly become more noticeable in the weeks before his death.
CCTV review and final movements
Police said that video recordings from the room showed no irregularities and no unauthorised persons entering or leaving. The final images reportedly showed the man wearing only black shorts and apparently intoxicated.
At around 2:00 a.m., he was seen walking down the stairs to the area of the first floor and then returning towards his room. Later that morning, before 8:00 a.m., he was found dead between the second and third floors.
Last message and ongoing investigation
According to the police report, at about 6:00 a.m. he was said to have sent his girlfriend a message expressing sadness and disappointment related to his child and his planned return to the United Kingdom. The contents of this message were included in the case file as part of the reconstruction of his final hours.
The exact cause of death remained unclear, and the body was to be transferred to the Institute of Forensic Medicine at the Police General Hospital for a detailed autopsy. Police stated that the investigation would continue while they awaited the forensic results and coordinated with diplomatic representatives and family members.