Mystery as British tourist, 29, who vanished on night out in Thailand is found on life support system and having brain surgery in hospital
A British tourist who vanished on a night out in Thailand has been mysteriously found on a life support system and having emergency brain surgery in hospital.
Ashton Jones, 29, disappeared from his friends as they visited Bangkok, and was mysteriously found later in a hospital having emergency brain surgery.
His family said the Welshman flew to Thailand 's capital city 'on a whim' with a friend, where they met another friend and spent nearly a week 'making unforgettable memories.'
But they said they were devastated to learn that he was found fighting for his life, and their anxiety only compounded after they saw a photo of tubes coming out of him as he lay in a hospital bed in Chonburi Hospital, a town about 55 miles southeast of Bangkok.
Friends revealed they began an hours-long search for him after he disappeared from the nightclub they were partying in.
And his family believe that Ashton, who suffers from epilepsy and lives with his grandmother Beverly Walker, was attacked while he was on a night out.
His cousin Sophie, 26, told the Sun: 'It's heartbreaking because we're all really close.
'We're shocked and going out of our minds because we don't know what's going on.
'No one speaks English there and they're still struggling to get an English translator.'
His grandmother Beverly said: 'I am deeply concerned that without immediate financial or diplomatic assistance, my grandson may not survive.
'The emotional toll on our family is immense. We are heartbroken and fearful, watching from afar while Ashton suffers without the care he urgently requires.'
She said that doctors and nurses at the hospital tried waking him up on Monday.
Beverly said: 'It was a success but he still has a long way to go, he's bed-bound and suffering with fits, cannot talk, eat or drink and isn't aware.
'We all as a family are worried sick with fear for Ashton and how we can bring him home.'
The family said they now face a massive hospital bill, as Ashton did not purchase travel or health insurance on the last minute trip.
They have had to scrape all their saving together to pay for treatment and funding to bring him back to the UK, and have set up a GoFundMe to raise £50,000.
Beverly said: 'The hospital in Thailand is asking for the cost of his treatment on going that is far beyond what our family can afford.
'In the meantime, Ashton's condition continues to deteriorate, and it feels as though we are being left helpless as time runs out.
'We have already put together life savings for medical bills, flights, travel, accommodation to be with him but would never be able to afford to get him home to better health care and his family.'
So far they have raised just over £3,500.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Sun
an hour ago
- The Sun
I was left with a fractured skull and brain damage after ‘random' attack on night out… then I got a chilling message
A MAN was left with brain damage after a vicious attack as he walked home from a night out. Al Moreton woke up in hospital two days after the incident, with no memory of what happened. 9 9 9 The 46-year-old was left with two bleeds on the brain, brain damage and four fractures to his skull, and has lost his job as a HGV driver as a result. Doctors told him his injuries were consistent with being struck repeatedly, rather than a fall, he says. But with police closing the case after being unable to find any CCTV footage, Al posted about it on Facebook before receiving an odd response. He was sent a DM from a stranger telling him he may know who committed the attack but was too scared to give any further details. Al had been attending a friend's private birthday party at Bomba nightclub in Exeter on Friday, February 28. He drove from his home in Cullompton, Devon, arriving at the club around 8pm - with the plan to get the last bus home at 11pm and pick up his car the next day. However, Al is told by pals he became quickly intoxicated despite only having a few drinks, and fears he may have been spiked. He told The Sun: "I don't remember anything from after leaving the house due to my injuries." Al understands he left the club, in The Quay area of the city centre, at 10.30pm with the intention of heading for the bus station. But he said witnesses told him he was seen walking the opposite direction towards the River Exe. At around 11am the next day he was found by a passerby lying unconscious at Marsh Barton industrial estate, around two miles from the club. "All I've been told is someone who spotted me picked me up and dropped me at the hospital," he explained. "He didn't leave his name or anything, he just dropped me off and didn't want to be involved in any other way." Al added: "I'd like to be able to thank the person. I've no idea who they are. It was a very strange event which has caused me massive problems." I'd like to be able to thank the person. I've no idea who they are. It was a very strange event which has caused me massive problems. Al Moretonattack victim He explained he had a "small recollection" of Saturday, March 1, "but thought that was a dream", adding: "When I woke up on Sunday I realised it wasn't a dream. I had family around me." Al said his injuries, according to hospital staff, "aren't consistent with falling over - the injury to my forehead is consistent with being hit by something". He continued: "I've got no scraping - if I'd fallen over I would have hit something and scraped. "I've just got particular points where I might have been hit by something. 9 9 9 "They discounted the fact I had fallen over and must have been from an attack." Al said he reported it to police and they "investigated for a month or so" and was told officers had done door to door inquiries and searched for CCTV footage - but came up with nothing. "It's odd that there's no footage of me, considering I ended up on an industrial estate where I assume there's loads of cameras," he said. Judging by his route, Al believes he likely walked passed a couple of pubs too. "Pubs would've been kicking out that sort of time and people would've been around and about," he said. Strangely, Al didn't have any possessions missing when he woke up in the hospital. "My phone was apparently missing but was actually picked up by a doctor who worked at the hospital, so I had it back when I woke up," he explained. "My wallet was there and there was no money missing, so it wasn't a robbery." Roaming gang Al theorised it could have been a gang roaming around who attacked him at random. "They may have seen how vulnerable I was and decided to start something," he said. "I'm not a violent person, I wouldn't have been aggressive, I never am when I'm drunk, I'm more of a lover than fighter when I'm drunk." He posted about the incident on Facebook a few days after getting out of hospital and then a couple of weeks ago noticed he had "four or five" messages in his spam folder. "There was someone who had said that they thought they saw me actually not at the Quay but further away in a different direction, stumbling around drunk. "I've got to hand that onto the police and see if they pursue that." He said another message was very strange. "Someone on Facebook said 'I know who the people are'. "They said 'I'm a bit afraid to talk about it' - but then said they would give further information for money, so I don't know how real that was. I passed it onto police." The event Al was attending was a private, invite-only do for around 50 people. Asked how likely it is he could've been spiked, he said: "I find it hard to believe, usually it's women who get spiked. But speaking to someone else, they said actually all sorts of people get spiked because you're left vulnerable and can be followed." He's not sure if he was tested for substances in his blood while he was in hospital but said it wasn't mentioned by the doctors. Referring to his injuries, Al continued: "I had two bleeds on the brain, one on each side at the front and then four fractures around my right eye socket. I'm not working, so struggling to pay rent and pay bills. It's led to a dramatic change in my circumstances Al Moretonattack victim "That's now been fixed and plated. One of the points I had a bleed I had some damage to the brain on that side, which has caused me to effectively lose my job because I'm a lorry driver. "I've had my licences revoked for 12 months because I'm at a risk of seizures. "I'm not working, so struggling to pay rent and pay bills. It's led to a dramatic change in my circumstances." Al has been told he suffered "serious significant head injuries" but that his cognitive functions will improve over time. "Like with a lot of injuries, it takes time while I recover - they said I should recover 100%, but they can't be sure at this stage." Al says he was told by the DVLA he needed to prove he's "less than a two percent risk" of seizures over a 12 month period before he can be given his licence back. "I've not had a seizure and I don't feel like I've been on the verge of having one," he explained. Al is currently suffering with post concussion syndrome, having spent a couple of months living at his mum's home following the attack. "I wasn't bedridden but I was extremely tired and had constant headaches which were debilitating in themselves," he said of that initial recovery period. "I had constant headaches, woke up with them and went bed with them - I was drained and worn out by the injuries, so mostly stayed in bed." He added: "I'm keeping myself to myself. I've got a little bit of social anxiety after what happened." The Sun has approached Devon & Cornwall Police for comment. 9 9 9
Daily Mail
7 hours ago
- Daily Mail
The girl who went to buy cereal and never came home: Lindsay Rimer was 13 when she went missing, months later, her body was found - 30 years on, her killer is still unknown
On the evening of November 7, 1994, Lindsay Rimer went for a short walk from her home in Hebden Bridge, West Yorkshire, to the local shop to buy cereal but never returned home. Five months later, workers discovered her body in the nearby Rochdale Canal before a post-mortem examination revealed that she was strangled. Police never found her murderer. Lindsay was last seen in the West Yorkshire town's Memorial Gardens at around 10.45 pm after she visited the Trades Club to see her mother Geri and to a local Spar shop to buy cereal. That evening, Lindsay's parents assumed their daughter had gone to bed in her attic room, but the next morning, the newsagent called them up, informing them that Lindsay hadn't turned up to work. Shortly after, senior detective Tony Whittle, who was then a detective superintendent in Bradford's murder squad, received a call explaining Lindsay's case after she failed to turn up for her paper round. At the time, it wasn't unusual for teens to go missing throughout the night and reappear later the next day. However, the location of Lindsay's disappearance, Hebden Bridge, a town in the countryside eight miles outside of Halifax, West Yorkshire, with a tight-knit community, encouraged Whittle to act immediately on Lindsay's case, the BBC reported. Lindsay's sister Kate Rimer, who was 20 when Lindsay went missing, recalled her family's frantic reaction to her sister's disappearance and said her parents intuitively knew something sinister had taken place. After further investigation, police secured CCTV footage that showed Lindsay leaving the shop just before half past ten at night. Shortly after, two bus passengers spotted the teenager near the town's Memorial Garden, marking the last confirmed sighting of the teenager. In the immediate aftermath of Lindsay's disappearance, the police and community grouped together to search for the missing teenager. Her case gained national interest, and people started false rumours around the UK claiming to have seen the teen. Tony told the BBC, 'All we had was this CCTV picture of her in her big baggy jumper and jeans and that was it.' 'There were people around at the time and had she been dragged into a vehicle kicking and screaming, someone would have seen or heard.' Desperate for answers, the police searched residents' homes in the area with the hopes of finding a lead, Kate recalled. At one point, the police believed that Lindsay may have got into a car with someone she knew in the lead-up to her disappearance. Several weeks into the enquiry, officers tracked down a red Honda Civic, which was stolen and seen at the time of Lindsay's disappearance. But after further investigation, police discovered that the man driving the car had an alibi. Then, in April 1995, the Yorkshire schoolgirl's body was found weighed down at the bottom of the Rochdale Canal five months after she disappeared. The horrifying discovery was made by two workmen about a mile upstream of the town centre as they worked in the water in April 1995. Police couldn't gain any further forensic evidence of Lindsay because she was underwater for so long. Last year, which marked 30 years after she disappeared, Lindsay's sisters revealed how the family's grief and heartache continues long after her body was found just a mile from their home. Juliet, who was just 18 months old when Lindsay went missing, said, 'We want someone to come forward with information, because you never know that tiny piece of information might be the missing piece in the puzzle and might just fit everything together and put this to rest.' Kate added, 'If you know something about my sister's murder and the person who killed her, you have a moral obligation to come forward because this needs to end for our family, and it needs to end for Lindsay as well.' Lindsay's body was found in the Rochdale Canal before a post-mortem examination revealed that she was strangled Last year, Detective Chief Inspector James Entwistle said, 'Lindsay Rimer was a 13-year-old child who lived here in Hebden Bridge with her mum, her dad, her brothers, and sisters. 'She was a bright, inquisitive, independent girl and on November 7 1994, she did what any 13-year-old girl should be allowed to do. 'She went to the shop. She called via the Trades Club to see her mum, she called into the shop. 'And then someone brutally murdered her and left her body in the canal, hoping that no one in the family would ever know what had happened. It's 30 years to the day that this happened. 'There has been an immense police inquiry around it and we're still no closer to the truth about what happened. And so my appeal today is threefold. 'Firstly, do you have suspicions about someone? Were you maybe a prison officer, a probation officer, a teacher who's always 'wondered what about that person?' Now's the time. 30 years later, now's the time. 'Secondly, were you in Hebden Bridge at the time? Have you always wondered about coming forward? Loyalties change over 30 years. Now's the time to talk to us. 'And thirdly, were you involved? Do you have this on your conscience? Maybe you weren't responsible for the murder, but you know exactly what happened. 30 years later, now's the time to talk to us. 'You can ring us. You can go online and make a report, anonymously or otherwise. 'Tonight is 30 years since November 7, 1994 and my team and I are here in Hebden Bridge. We'll be here all night. Come and talk to us because now is the time.'
Daily Mail
11 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Outrage as backpackers hostel where Aussie teens died plans to reopen: 'They should be banned'
The survivor of a lethal suspected methanol poisoning at a Laos hostel, which killed two Melbourne teenage girls, has slammed plans for the venue to reopen. Best friends Bianca Jones and Holly Bowles were staying at the Nana Backpackers Hostel in Vang Vieng when they became sick after drinking at the bar in November. The 19-year-olds were among six tourists who died after suffering from suspected methanol poisoning. The Herald Sun published photos on Saturday that suggested the venue, which has been closed since the incident, was planning to reopen. The images, taken this week, showed new paintwork and repairs, including a green trim on the windows of the upper floors. There is a banner at the entrance which reads 'VangVieng Central Backpackers Hostel', implying there has been a change of name. British 28-year-old Bethany Clarke survived the alleged poisoning which killed her friend Simone White. She has shared her outrage that the hostel could reopen, saying: 'This site should be a memorial, I don't want to see anyone staying there.' Photos of the Nana Backpackers Hostel from this week suggest it has been rebranded, with new paintwork and a change of name 'Vang Vieng Central Backpackers Hostel' Advertisements for the newly-named hostel have appeared on the travel sites TripAdvisor and Agoda. Among the photos are images showing the same bar where the tragic incident occurred, and the pool can be seen in the gallery of one listing. 'It's completely unbelievable, they shouldn't be allowed to advertise on TripAdvisor and Agoda, they should be banned,' Ms Clarke said. 'When you go on to the site Vang Vieng Central Backpackers you can see the pool at Nanas, so it appears they are linked.' There are currently no available dates listed on the advertisements of either travel website. Asked about a potential reopening, a spokesperson for Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said they were working to avoid repeat incidents. 'The Australian Government will continue to do everything possible to assist Holly and Bianca's families, and to reduce the risks of a tragedy like this happening again,' the spokesperson said. 'Our officials remain engaged with Laos authorities to reinforce our expectations for a transparent and thorough investigation.' Adverts on travel websites have included photos of the hostel bar where the suspected methanol poisoning occurred, but with the new name for the venue One TripAdvisor gallery photo for Vang Vieng Central Backpackers Hostel clearly shows the pool of Nanas Backpackers The Laos Government said it would conduct an investigation into the cause of the Novemeber incident and bring the perpetrators to justice. Danish friends Anne-Sofie Orkild Coyman, 20, and Freja Sorensen, 21, and American James Hutson, 57, also died in the same incident. Eight men aged between 23 and 47 were taken into custody following arrests by police on November 25 as part of an investigation into the suspected poisonings. Among those arrested by Vang Vieng police were general staff and managers. There was no suggestion at the time that those detained were responsible for the tourists' deaths. A further five people, who were linked to the Tiger distillery, including the manufacturer of the drinks served, were also taken in for questioning. In February, Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles told federal parliament that authorities in Laos declined the offer of assistance from Australian Federal Police in its investigation of the incident. He vowed that Australian authorities wouldn't drop the matter. 'I would want to assure the families of Bianca and Holly that we remain in contact with the Laos authorities and that the offer of assistance is being consistently offered,' he said. The teens' families said in a joint statement they were 'extremely disappointed' by the lack of updates. 'As the Laos government rejects any support from the AFP our confidence in accountability and justice for everyone affected remains unanswered,' it said.
