Thread: Police conclude foreign diver ‘in great spirit’ slit own throat

Police have ruled that a foreign scuba diver found with his throat slit off Koh Larn died of a suicide after obtaining a supposed goodbye message sent electronically to his wife.



American Frank Thomas Kech, 52, was found tied to a concrete pile about 500 meters off Samae Beach on the resort island Dec. 16. A backpack was found near the body.

Police initially could not identify the man and suspected he may have died of foul play. However, his wife Koi, who was in the South at the time, produced for police a note sent to her via the Line messaging app that appeared to be a goodbye letter from her husband.

Police conclude foreign diver ?in great spirit? slit own throat - Pattaya Mail

It's extremely easy to tie oneself to a concrete post and slit ones throat. I do it regularly to keep myself in shape and on my toes. Sometimes i use my teeth to line my wife and let her know that it's not an exercise and that she should ready the tea, toast and crumpet for evensong as per usual.

"Police have concluded those were Kech’s last words and have closed the case as a suicide."

"In the message, he said it was “time to fulfill my life dream of moving on” and says goodbye, adding that he transferred money to her bank account for her to move on and “find someone who can make your dreams come true”."

"The supposed suicide victim wrote he was leaving “in great mind, body and spirit”.

He also added that she should tell his family in the U.S. that he is on a journey around the world and won’t be able to contact them for a while. Additional details included the whereabouts of the key to the safe that contains valuables and her wedding ring in their room."


So, wife was away, he decided to leave her, told her the whereabouts of the valuables, transferred money (not all, presumably) and that he would be out of contact for a while....and thus it is suicide, not murder by an angry wife or someone else.

Looks like Thai detectives have taken the easiest route, yet again.

Isn't it the coroner's duty to close a case like this?

I said before this was a suicide but it would have been better if the police divers had found the knife he used.
If it was murder why on earth would anyone have gone to all that bother?

Clearly, self immolation whilst the balance of mind was disturbed.

The wife did it .

before closing the case and signing it off as a suicide any police force worth its salt would check the timing of the phone message and confirm from where and whose device it was sent, they would also check who transferred the money into the wifes account and when exactly the transfer took place.

looks to me more like a murder by the wifes lover.

Sounds pretty far fetched and implausible to me...

Far from me to play detective, but it does point to her *and her top secret lover boy somchai, plotting a not so clever plan, to off the limp hubby and away with his modest riches...

Anyone can falsify line messages, that's child's play... surely that's no evidence of anything...

Can not verify the source of the 'suicide note' from 'Line' but looks about right judging from whats being reported.



More Reading material and images of Frank. Bunch of bullshit if you ask me. Since when do you fucking take the word of the wife/girlfriend. On what planet is that through detective work.

American diver committed suicide, authorities say - PattayaOne

Murder mystery at Koh Larn, Pattaya - BangkokJack - Bangkok News

Evidence found near foreigner's body off Pattaya - BangkokJack - Bangkok News

Mystery diver's body identified as American tourist - BangkokJack - Bangkok News

well the English is too good for any Thai I ever met

Too lazy to spend more than 10 minutes with my google-foo detective work but it would be really interesting to see what, or how, he 'tied himself up'

Divers, even scuba divers, know enough to 'rig' or use ropes/carabiners for their gear & securing shit.

Id like to see if any of this kind of knowledge was used in 'tying himself up'.

Originally Posted by Thai3

well the English is too good for any Thai I ever met

Again, I stole that image, can't verify anything. Dont want to mislead anyone as its pretty fucking easy to spoof a 'line' message.

I spent about 10 minutes trying to source, but couldn't find it.

^ Exactamondo!! anyone else heard of photoshop doohh! I could be Michael Jackson's love child.. (hold on a sec while I make an ID in line MJ'slovechild123)...

Originally Posted by Thai3

well the English is too good for any Thai I ever met

^ She's in contact with other John's... not just Frankypoo...

Sheesh you guys are gullible!... even just recently on TD, someone you all love to hate, suddenly channeled her farang ghost... ei ei

Easy peasy lemon squeezy, for Frank's T-rak to plot his death with her new lub via line, or any number of other chat programs... welcome to 2017!

Originally Posted by NZdick1983

Easy peasy lemon squeezy,

FFS, you are simply WEIRD.

Originally Posted by NZdick1983

for Frank's T-rak to plot his death with her new lub via line

Funny as this shit isn't even rocket-surgery. Even if the message came from Franks phone number, at the right time & getting all CIA/FBI/AU/UK super-pro detective, it means nothing other than to implicate wifey (and associates) with pre-meditation.

Statistically, suicide, in diving gear, while tying yourself up, AND SLITTING YOUR OWN THROAT is so goddamn unlikely its almost impossible. Its not 'impossible' of course, but wtf?

Of course Frank is a fellow American, maybe suicide by tying-yourself-up-in-diving-gear-slit-own-throat-underwater is more likely in Thailand with a Thai GF/Wife, statistically?

Originally Posted by Davis Knowlton

FFS, you are simply WEIRD.

^ Thanks...

looks like he secured his left hand to the post so that he didnt drift away as opposed to "tying himself up".

if the line message is genuine then it may well have been a suicide.

Originally Posted by NZdick1983

Originally Posted by Davis Knowlton

FFS, you are simply WEIRD.

^ Thanks...

I've been looking at New Zealand as a university possibility for my twins, but every time I get really interested, I'll stumble across one of your posts and think, "Nah. Why take the chance?"

Originally Posted by Seekingasylum

If it was murder why on earth would anyone have gone to all that bother?

If you murdered someone Thegent I'm sure you'd bother to make things difficult for investigators to pin the murder on you. Fcuk me, I thought you to be a clever chappy.

Were any images of how he was tied to the pole released?

Not that I want to see them. But might kinda give a clue into just how suspect this police decision is.

Originally Posted by taxexile

looks like he secured his left hand to the post

Do you know with what?

Bit hard to do an Alpine Butterfly Bend with only one hand.

Originally Posted by NZdick1983

smells fishy

Well he would do if he'd been in the water a while.

^ He had the rubber ducky to keep him afloat...