Missing British man found dead in Bangkok hotel after donation appeal
Thai netizens raised suspicions about a British family’s donation campaign after they sought financial support to search for a missing relative in Pattaya, only to later announce that he was found dead at a hotel in Bangkok.
A missing person poster for 21 year old British national Joshua Kershaw was widely shared across Facebook groups of expats and tourists in Thailand. The man reportedly lost contact with his family on January 12 after arriving in Pattaya.
One the same day of his missing, his family launched a fundraising campaign on GoFundMe to raise money to travel to Thailand to look for him. Details of Joshua’s disappearance were shared on the fundraising page by his aunt, Jade Kershaw.
According to her post, Joshua last contacted his mother via a video call on January 12 while staying at a hotel in Pattaya. He reportedly told her that he was heading out to get some food, after which all contact was lost. Jade stated that Joshua’s mobile phone was switched off since that time.
Joshua was scheduled to board a return flight from Thailand to Heathrow Airport on January 19 but failed to do so. His family later reported him missing to authorities, who classified the case as high risk.
The family said they were unsure which hotel Joshua had been staying at and wanted to travel to Thailand to search for him. However, they claimed they were unable to afford the costs involved and therefore appealed for public donations.
Jade explained that if Joshua were found alive, the donated money would be returned to contributors or donated to charities related to missing persons. If he were found deceased, the funds would be used to repatriate his body to the UK.
An update was later posted by Jade yesterday, January 21, confirming that Joshua was found dead at a hotel on January 12. Several British media outlets reported that the hotel was located in Bangkok, not Pattaya as initially believed.
The fundraising campaign has not yet been closed, as the family said they still needed financial support to bring Joshua home. At the time of reporting, the campaign had raised £9,940, or approximately 418,000 baht.
The case drew attention in Thailand after the Facebook page World Forum shared the story yesterday. The page pointed out that no Thai news outlets had reported on Joshua’s disappearance or death, despite the story receiving widespread coverage in the UK.
The page urged followers to wait for official confirmation and investigation results from police and Thai authorities before drawing conclusions.
Online reactions among Thai netizens were mixed. Some questioned why such a serious case involving a foreign national was not covered by Thai media.
Others speculated that Joshua’s family should have been informed of his death earlier, as hotels typically hold guest identification documents that allow police to identify the deceased.
Another group suggested that Joshua may have taken his own life, prompting the hotel to withhold details in order to protect its reputation.
As of now, Thai authorities have not released any official statement regarding the circumstances of Joshua’s death.
