Mystery of Brit dad found dead in pool of blood with phone missing in Thailand as even ex-cop left baffled by case
Offshore oil rig supervisor Steven Russell, 45, was found dead at home in Dumrongsuk Village, northeast of Bangkok, just before Christmas.
8
8
8
His father, John Russell, 76, said his family have been left without answers and are now trying to piece together how Steven died.
That's because a Thai police probe, a UK coroner's inquest, and an investigation by a former cop all could not find a cause.
John said he's now been left "desensitised" after having to deal with the grisly details of his son's death.
He told The Sun: "From the photographs, he [Steven] was laying on a settee covered with a blanket, and the blanket was soaked in blood, on the floor was obviously dry blood.
"He'd been there for at least three days."
Steven's body was found after neighbours raised the alarm on December 22.
They alerted the village headman and the police.
Upon arrival, the house was locked from the inside, preventing entry.
Rescue workers were called to get inside the house, and Steven was found lying on his back, covered with a blanket, on the sofa in the living room.
Brit doctors in January were unable to confirm how he had died when his body was brought back to the UK for a formal coroner's probe.
New CCTV of Brit 'mule' Bella May Culley 'smuggling £200k of cannabis' released as cops slam her claims she was coerced
John said he believed it was unlikely that Steven's death had been caused by some traumatic and violent event.
He said: "There was no signs of anyone breaking in.
"And the autopsy said that all his organs were normal, they were healthy, there was no signs of any traumas, you know, no punctures in the skin.
"All I'm saying is there's like an open verdict in my mind. I can't even, if someone asked me, 'why do you think you died', the answer is 'I don't know', and I don't know whether we'll ever know."
8
8
But, the father said that nothing could be ruled out - even poisoning.
"The only thing we couldn't prove is if he'd been poisoned.
"No way to prove it. Having said that, he was laying on a settee, he was covered up.
"If you were in pain, would you have gotten up or would you have just laid there? Again, I don't know."
The family has now been left trying to track down Steve's last moments to figure out what led up to his death.
"What we're trying to do is put together everything, you know, to do with Facebook messages and everything, you know, to try and button that up.
8
8
"One of the hardest things was, I paid to have all his possessions sent back, and when I got them there was nothing there... we believe he had an iPhone, and we never got that back..."
They're now trying to get access to Steven's social media accounts and speak to all his pals to see when he last messaged.
Due to the condition of Steven's body, they believe he was dead for several days before being found.
John said: "So obviously he died before the 22nd, probably around the 19th."
Determining when Steven died could be important to trying to figure out how he died.
The inquest into Steven's death was held at the Norfolk Coroner's Court in January.
Dr Laszlo Igali, histopathologist, said the medical cause of death could not be ascertained, according to Norwich Evening News.
A hearing in June again gave an open verdict on the cause of his death.
John slammed Thai cops who had been unhelpful in every aspect of Steven's death.
"I got a message on Messenger on the 22nd of December, saying, 'sorry for your loss.' And I wrote back and said, 'what do you mean?'
"And the person came back and said, 'didn't you know Stephen died?' And that's how I found out."
The grandfather has also paid tribute to his son, saying he was an incredibly determined person.
"His ambition was to live in Thailand and work wherever."
Steven had settled in Thailand in 2022, but had lived there on and off for a number of years leaving for extended periods of time to work on oil rigs.
Steven had also been a champion kickboxer, winning the English and British WKU titles in the early 2000s.
He turned pro and fought seven bouts with a record of one win, one draw, and five losses across the space of two years.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Scottish Sun
an hour ago
- Scottish Sun
Who is Colin Pitchfork and where is he now? A look at Lynda Mann & Dawn Ashworth's murderer
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) FOLLOWING the confession of a local youth, Leicestershire detectives believed they had found the killer of Lynda Mann and Dawn Ashworth. But investigators utilised the then brand-new technology of genetic fingerprinting to avoid convicting the wrong man, leading them to the real monster — here's everything you need to know about Colin Pitchfork. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 3 Colin Pitchfork was jailed in 1988 for the rape and murder of two teens Credit: Rex Who is Colin Pitchfork? Colin Pitchfork was jailed for life in 1988 for raping and murdering teens Lynda Mann and Dawn Ashworth in Leicestershire. He was the first person in the world to be arrested and convicted using DNA evidence. Pitchfork grew up in Newbold Verdon, Leicestershire, before moving to Littlethorpe when he got married. He worked there as an apprentice baker and had two sons with his wife. Pitchfork famously left one son sleeping in the back of his car while he raped and murdered his first victim, Lynda, before driving home and putting the baby to bed. Prior to marrying his wife, Pitchfork had been convicted of indecent exposure and had been referred for therapy at a local hospital. Who were Colin Pitchfork's victims? Lynda Mann and Dawn Ashworth were killed by Pitchfork. Both young women were just 15 years old when they were murdered. On November 21, 1983, Lynda was taking a shortcut on her way home from babysitting in her village of Narborough when she disappeared. Her parents spent the evening looking for her but the next morning her body was found dumped on a local footpath, having been strangled. Lynda had also been raped. It wasn't until Dawn's body was found in similar circumstances in July 1986 that the police had any leads or evidence. She had left a friend's house in Narborough but vanished on the short walk to her home in the neighbouring village of Enderby. Her body was found in the corner of a field hidden under branches and showed signs of a terrible struggle before she was killed. Cops arrested Richard Buckland, a local 17-year-old with learning difficulties who knew Dawn, shortly after her body was found. However, DNA evidence proved Buckland was innocent and eventually led to Pitchfork's arrest. Pitchfork pleaded guilty to the rape and murder of both teens and was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 30 years in 1988. 3 Dawn Ashworth was killed by Pitchfork in 1986 In 2009, his sentence was reduced, on appeal, to 28 years. What happened when Colin Pitchfork was on day release in 2017? On November 13, 2017, The Sun reported that Pitchfork had been allowed out to roam Bristol city centre alone for six hours. Pitchfork, who changed his name to Thorpe, went to a job centre and visited three banks, as well as eating a pulled pork sandwich and reading Great British Bake Off books. He was later returned by staff to HMP Leyhill, an open prison in Gloucestershire. What art has the killer exhibited? In April 2009, Pitchfork sparked public outrage when he exhibited a sculpture at the Royal Festival Hall. The design, titled Bringing Music To Life, was created from inside HMP Frankland, County Durham and was described as being made "in meticulous miniature detail by folding, cutting and tearing the score of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony". The work was removed from display when the family of Pitchfork's victims expressed their distress. 3 Lynda Man was murdered by Pitchfork in 1983 When was Colin Pitchfork released from prison? After being denied parole on two occasions in 2016 and in 2018, the Parole Board deemed in June 2021 that Pitchfork was no longer a danger to the public. He was released in July 2021, but was back in jail two months later after breaching the licence conditions of his release. It was revealed that he had "sidled up" to young women while out on long walks and was arrested over "concerning behaviours" after being freed. Where is Colin Pitchfork now? In June 2023 Pitchfork was ruled safe for release — less than two years after he was thrown back in jail.
The Sun
4 hours ago
- The Sun
Girl, 14, raped in city centre park just minutes after meeting man, 43, outside Wetherspoons pub, court hears
A 43-YEAR-OLD man raped and sexually assaulted a 14-year-old girl in a city park, a court has heard. Nicholas Foreman, from Dorset, allegedly attacked the youngster shortly after meeting her outside of a Wetherspoons. 1 The pair allegedly met outside the Standing Order Wetherspoon in Southampton, on the evening of February 15. After that, they reportedly went to Houndwell Park where she was attacked at around 10.30pm. Charles Gabb, prosecuting, told Winchester Crown Court that the Foreman felt that "temptation that she presented to him, he was just unable to resist, and he embraced that temptation with gusto". He added: "Just 26 minutes it took from the very first time that these two have ever clapped eyes on each other to the time the deeds had been done." Foreman faces eight charges in total, three of which are for rape. An additional charge of sexual assault has been levied against him, along with four alternative charges of sexual activity with a child. According to Mr Gabb, the girl made excuses to get away from the defendant. He added that police eventually raced to the scene when members of the public raised concerns about the girl's "distressed" state. The prosecutor said that Foreman told police that he believed the youngster was aged over 18 and that she had consented to the sexual act. Mr Gabb said: "He then subsequently maintained to state that she had instigated everything, therefore shifting the responsibility to this child away from him, effectively saying she started it." The is your go-to destination for the best celebrity news, real-life stories, jaw-dropping pictures and must-see video. Like us on Facebook at and follow us from our main Twitter account at @TheSun.
Scottish Sun
5 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
I got spoofed and was forced to change my mobile number – it could happen to you too
Deputy consumer editor Lucy Andrews was a victim of a chilling identity fraud, she explains what happened PHONE HOME I got spoofed and was forced to change my mobile number – it could happen to you too Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) IF you've ever been targeted by a scammer, you'll know it can be a scary and worrying experience. But has a fraudster ever pretended to be YOU, in order to trick people out of their hard-earned cash? Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 1 The Sun's deputy consumer editor Lucy Andrews had her number 'spoofed' - here's what happened Credit: News Group Newspapers Ltd. That's exactly what happened to me, when I discovered that my phone number had been "spoofed" and crooks were using it to try and scam people. It's a horrible form of identity fraud and a cunning way for fraudsters to attempt to steal cash or money from unsuspecting victims, as the number appears to be from a trusted source. It all started six months ago, when I started getting mysterious phone calls from strangers claiming that they'd has missed calls from me. But when I checked my call log each time, I could see that I never made the call to that number. I would tell the caller that they made a mistake, and hang up the phone. I was suspicious that these were scammers trying to lure me into handing over money in some way, so I made sure to block the numbers after I put the phone down. But the calls kept coming and each time I kept blocking the number. That was until last week, when I received a WhatsApp out of the blue from a lady I didn't know. "Hello, did you call me?" the text read. I usually don't message back when I get these sorts of WhatsApp messages, as I'm wary of scammers. But I was confused when the lady sent a screenshot of her call log - and surprisingly, my phone number was at the top of the list. I decided to message back, explaining that I didn't call her. I thanked her for flagging the missed call, and said I would look into what happened. After contacting my phone company, ID Mobile, I was told that the most likely explanation for what had happened was that my phone number had been spoofed. They said there wasn't much the company could do about my spoofed number, although I had the option to change my phone number, which would cost £25. I was also told to report the issue to Action Fraud. The thought of a scammer using my number and pretending to be me to con money out of innocent people made me sick to my stomach. So I decided to bite the bullet, swallow the £25 charge, and put the experience behind me. Even better, I've not had a single scam call or text since I switched my number - before, I used to get at least one a week. However, there's nothing to stop my new number from being spoofed too. It's also been a massive inconvenience contacting all my friends, family, and organisations to let them know about my change of number. iD Mobile said: "We understand how frustrating it is for customers to receive calls from people claiming they've been contacted by them. "In this instance, it appears the number was spoofed — a common industry issue where fraudsters fake caller IDs without needing access to the number itself." I've been told that if I report it to Action Fraud, the £25 fee will be waived - which I'm planning on doing soon. Spoofing on the rise The main reason why scammers will spoof numbers is in order to target more victims without being caught up in something called the Do Not Originate (DNO) list. Ofcom and UK Finance launched the DNO list in 2019. Companies and organisations add to the list when a rogue number is reported, and this list is shared with telecoms providers to help them identify and block calls from these numbers. It's an effective tool in filtering through scam callers - but tech and cyber security expert David McClelland said scammers are exploiting a loophole. "Perhaps because of this DNO list - although it's difficult to say for sure - scammers are now also making calls that spoof individuals' mobile numbers," he said. Spoofing is becoming a big problem. The telcoms regulator, Ofcom, is so concerned about the growing threat of spoofing that it launched a consultation in July last year on how to address the issue. It said it was "concerned" that scam calls are coming from scammers who are spoofing UK mobile numbers. It said a call from a spoofed number could appear more trustworthy, and "victims are more likely to share personal information or to make a payment, which can lead to significant financial and emotional harm". It can therefore make it much easier for fraudsters to hunt down victims and steal their money. Some 5.7million Brits have been targeted by a mobile phone scammer more than 10 times, according to research from comparison site Uswitch. And an eye-watering £1.17billion was swiped by scammers in 2024 - roughly level to what was stolen in 2023. What can you do about spoofing? Worryingly, phone companies can't do a lot about spoofing, says Jake Moore from the cybersecurity firm ESET. "There's no solid bulletproof way to stop this sort of spoofing," he says. "However, it's a good idea to report it to Action Fraud and at extreme lengths, you can change your number. "This may be challenging for some people - but it will eradicate the problem if your phone number appears on a list that hackers delve into." My spoofing experience has been sobering, and has reminded me of the importance of remaining vigilant against scammers. Set your privacy settings to the highest level on your social media and messaging accounts. This is so people can't contact you or collect personal information about you - it's surprising how much we share on our accounts. Be wary of who you share your number with. "Try to reduce the amount of companies you give your phone number to," Jake said. "Most website forms will ask for it but not all of them will require it for the service or product to work. "By limiting where your number is divulged, it reduces the chance it will be breached." If you get a cold call, never rely on just using the caller ID as a way to verify who they say they are. It's worryingly easy for scammers to spoof a number. If someone says they are from your bank, then hang up and call the number on the back of your card, or through the mobile bank app. If someone says they are from an official organisation, like HMRC, hang up and look up the number to call back on the website. Being spoofed has made me realise the lengths that scammers will go to in order to trick you into handing over money. From now on, I'll be keeping a close eye on where I'm sharing my phone number.
