Traces of cyanide are found in the blood of Vietnamese and Americans found dead in a Bangkok hotel

BANGKOK (AP) — Initial autopsy results showed traces of cyanide in the blood of six Vietnamese and American guests at a luxury hotel in central Bangkok and one of them is believed to have poisoned the others over a bad investment, Thai authorities said Wednesday.

The bodies were found Tuesday in the Grand Hyatt Erawan Bangkok, a landmark at a central intersection in the capital busy with malls, government buildings and public transit.

The six had last been seen alive when food was delivered to the room Monday afternoon. The staff saw one woman receive the food, and security video showed the rest arriving one by one shortly after. There were no other visitors, no one was seen leaving and the door was locked from the inside. A maid found them Tuesday afternoon when they failed to check out of the room.

Upon entering the room, hotel staff found that food ordered from the previous day was left untouched, with some servings of fried rice still under plastic wrap. While the food was untouched, several used teacups were on a nearby table, next to two thermos bottles.

Lt. Gen. Trairong Piwpan, chief of the Thai police force's forensic division, said there were traces of cyanide in the cups and bottles.

Initial results from autopsies of the six bodies, performed at Bangkok’s Chulalongkorn Hospital, were shared later Wednesday. Kornkiat Vongpaisarnsin, head of the forensic medicine department at Chulalongkorn University’s medical school, said at a news conference that there was cyanide in the blood of all six, and a CAT scan showed no signs of blunt force trauma, reinforcing the hypothesis that they had been poisoned.

Chulalongkorn’s dean of medicine, Chanchai Sittipunt, said the team knew enough from the cyanide to determine it was likely the cause of death.

Bangkok police chief Lt. Gen. Thiti Sangsawang identified the dead as two Vietnamese Americans and four Vietnamese nationals, and said they were three men and three women. Their ages ranged from 37 to 56, according to Noppasin Punsawat, Bangkok deputy police chief. He said the case appeared to be personal and would not impact the safety of tourists.

A husband and wife among the dead had invested about 10 million baht ($278,000) with two of the others, and that could be a motive, said Noppasin, citing information obtained from relatives. The investment was meant to build a hospital in Japan and the group might have been meeting to settle the matter. Police say one killed the rest but did not say which of the six was the suspect.

Bangkok police chief Lt. Gen. Thiti Sangsawang said Tuesday that four bodies were in the living room and two in the bedroom. He said two of the people appeared to have tried to reach the door but collapsed before they could.

Noppasin said Wednesday that a seventh person whose name was part of the hotel booking was a sibling of one of the six and left Thailand on July 10. Police believe the seventh person had no involvement in the deaths.

The Vietnamese and United States embassies have been contacted over the deaths, and the American FBI was en route, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin said.

“This wasn’t an act of terrorism or a breach in security. Everything is fine," he said.

Trairong said a mass suicide was unlikely because some of them had arranged future parts of their trip, such as guides and drivers. He said the bodies being in different parts of the hotel room suggested they did not knowingly consume poison and wait for their deaths together.

U.S. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller in Washington offered condolences to the families of the dead. He said the U.S. is closely monitoring the situation and would communicate with local authorities. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke with his Thai counterpart on Tuesday, but Miller said he thought that call happened before the deaths were reported and he didn’t know if it came up in their conversation.

The five-star Grand Hyatt Erawan is one of Bangkok's landmark hotels. The Erawan Shrine that sits on the corner of its block has been a major tourist attraction since it was erected on the advice of astrologers during the hotel's construction in 1956 to ward off bad luck.

Visitors worship at the shrine, requesting divine intervention on issues from relationship troubles to exam preparation. The shrine was the target of a 2015 bombing that killed 20 people and injured more than 100.

In 2023, Thailand was rocked by reports of a serial killer who poisoned 15 people with cyanide over a span of years. Sararat Rangsiwuthaporn, or “Am Cyanide” as she would later be called, killed at least 14 people whom she owed money to. One person survived.

Kornkiat Vongpaisarnsin, head of the forensic medicine department at Chulalongkorn University’s medical school, talks to reporters at Chulalongkorn Hospital during a news conference in Bangkok, Thailand, Wednesday, July 17, 2024. Initial autopsy results showed traces of cyanide in the blood of six Vietnamese and American guests at a central Bangkok luxury hotel and one of them is believed to have poisoned the others over a bad investment, Thai authorities said Wednesday. He said there was cyanide found in the blood of all six bodies, and a CAT scan showed no signs of blunt force trauma, reinforcing the hypothesis that they had been poisoned. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

Lt. Gen. Trairong Piwpan, center, chief of the Thai police force's forensic division, talks to reporters during a press conference at Lumpini police station in Bangkok, Thailand, Wednesday, July 17, 2024. The chief of the Thai police forensic division said Wednesday that police have found traces of cyanide in the cups of six people found dead in a central Bangkok luxury hotel. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

Lt. Gen. Trairong Piwpan, chief of the Thai police force's forensic division, talks to reporters during a press conference at Lumpini police station in Bangkok, Thailand, Wednesday, July 17, 2024. The chief of the Thai police forensic division said Wednesday that police have found traces of cyanide in the cups of six people found dead in a central Bangkok luxury hotel. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

Thai police display pictures of evidence during a press conference at Lumpini police station in Bangkok, Thailand, Wednesday, July 17, 2024. The chief of the Thai police forensic division said Wednesday that police have found traces of cyanide in the cups of six people found dead in a central Bangkok luxury hotel. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin gestures as he is mobbed by the media upon arrival at Grand Hyatt Erawan in Bangkok, Thailand, Tuesday, July 16, 2024. Police said a number of people were found dead Tuesday in the luxury hotel in downtown Bangkok and poisoning is suspected. (AP Photo/Napat Kongsawad)

Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin arrives at Grand Hyatt Erawan Hotel in Bangkok, Thailand, Tuesday, July 16, 2024. Police said a number of people were found dead Tuesday in the luxury hotel in downtown Bangkok and poisoning is suspected. (AP Photo/Napat Kongsawad)

Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin speaks to the media during a press conference at Grand Hyatt Erawan Hotel in Bangkok, Thailand, Tuesday, July 16, 2024. Police said a number of people were found dead Tuesday in the luxury hotel in downtown Bangkok and poisoning is suspected. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

Police officers talk to a staff member at the Grand Hyatt Erawan Hotel in Bangkok, Thailand, Tuesday, July 16, 2024. Police said a number of people were found dead Tuesday in the luxury hotel in downtown Bangkok and poisoning is suspected. (AP Photo/Chatkla Samnaingjam)

Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, left, speaks to the media as Royal Thai Police Chief Torsak Sukvimol listens during a press conference at Grand Hyatt Erawan Hotel in Bangkok, Thailand, Tuesday, July 16, 2024. Police said a number of people were found dead Tuesday in the luxury hotel in downtown Bangkok and poisoning is suspected. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

Thailand's Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, left, walks past Royal Thai Police Chief Torsak Sukvimol during a press conference at the Grand Hyatt Erawan Hotel in Bangkok, Thailand, Tuesday, July 16, 2024. Police said a number of people were found dead Tuesday in the luxury hotel in downtown Bangkok and poisoning is suspected. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

An ambulance sits outside the Grand Hyatt Erawan Hotel to Chulalongkorn hospital in Bangkok, Thailand, Tuesday, July 16, 2024. Police say the bodies of six people were found in the luxury hotel in downtown Bangkok. (AP Photo/Chatkla Samnaingjam)

A man walks outside the Grand Hyatt Erawan Hotel in Bangkok, Thailand, Tuesday, July 16, 2024. Police said a number of people were found dead Tuesday in the luxury hotel in downtown Bangkok and poisoning is suspected. (AP Photo/Chatkla Samnaingjam)

Police gather outside the Grand Hyatt Erawan Hotel in Bangkok, Thailand, Tuesday, July 16, 2024. Police said a number of people were found dead Tuesday in the luxury hotel in downtown Bangkok and poisoning is suspected. (AP Photo/Chatkla Samnaingjam)

STILLWATER, Okla. (AP) — Alan Bowman threw three touchdown passes, Ollie Gordon II scored three times and No. 17 Oklahoma State ended two-time defending FCS national champion South Dakota State’s 29-game winning streak with a 44-20 victory Saturday.

Bowman, beginning his seventh year of eligibility at age 24, completed 25 of 34 passes for 265 yards in the opener for both teams. He threw scoring passes of 6 yards to Brennan Presley, 22 yards to Ollie Gordon II and 58 yards to Rashod Owens.

“Overall, I was pleased with the performance from a discipline standpoint,” Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy said. “We only had one penalty, which is really good, and I thought we were good in special teams. Defensively, we played good and then gave up big plays.”

Gordon, a junior who won the Doak Walker Award as the nation’s top running back last season, carried 27 times for 104 yards and two scores. His second touchdown, on a short pass from Bowman, covered 22 yards for a 24-6 lead with 10:46 left in the third.

“I thought he ran very well today, made guys miss, guys bounce off of him,” Gundy said. “He made big runs at key times today and he looks better physically running than he even did last year."

South Dakota State answered behind quarterback Mark Gronowski, the reigning Walter Payton Award winner as the top offensive player in the Football Championship Subdivision. He took the Jackrabbits 75 yards in three plays, capping the drive with a 21-yard scoring pass to Grahm Goering to make it 24-13.

Oklahoma State responded with 17 straight points to make it 41-13.

“Congratulations to Coach Gundy and Oklahoma State,” South Dakota State coach Jimmy Rogers said. “I thought they played really well, I thought they were as good as advertised. They did a lot of really, really good things offensively. And then defensively, at times they just kind of took the wind out of our sails.

“We’ll respond. This isn’t the end of the world to me. We have 11 more games to play and we’re going to give it our best.”

The Cowboys led 17-6 at the half, limiting the Jackrabbits to two field goals.

Gronowski completed 20 of 37 passes for 264 yards and two touchdowns.

South Dakota State’s 29-game winning streak, which spanned nearly two years, was the third-longest in Football Championship Subdivision history. North Dakota State won 39 straight games between 2017 and 2020 and 33 in a row between 2012 and 2014. The Jackrabbits’ last loss before Saturday came against Iowa on Sept. 3, 2022. The Hawkeyes won 7-3.

TAKEAWAY

South Dakota State moved the ball, compiling 388 yards of total offense and 17 first downs. But the Jackrabbits failed to convert in key situations, including their first two possessions of the game. They were stopped on fourth down and then Gronowski was intercepted by Kobie Black. Oklahoma State converted the turnover into points on Presley’s score.

STEPPING UP

Oklahoma State safety Trey Rucker had 15 tackles while linebacker Nick Martin contributed 10 tackles and a tackle behind the line of scrimmage that resulted in a 9-yard loss. Adam Bock led the Jackrabbits with 12 tackles.

BOTH SIDES

Former Oklahoma player Gavin Freeman, who joined Oklahoma State via the transfer portal, caught his first two passes for the Cowboys, returned a punt for 2 yards and a kickoff for 17 yards.

UP NEXT

South Dakota State: Hosts Incarnate Word on Sept. 7.

Oklahoma State: Hosts Arkansas on Sept. 7.

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South Dakota State running back Amar Johnson (3) runs past Oklahoma State safety Cameron Epps (7) in the first half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Aug. 31, 2024, in Stillwater, Okla. (AP Photo/Mitch Alcala)