‘Case closed’ on mystery death of Brazilian in Phuket
PHUKET: The body of a Brazilian tourist found dead in a Phuket guest house last month has been returned to his family in New Zealand. Relatives do not think the death was suspicious, Patong Police say.
Patong Hospital officers confirmed to the Phuket Gazette that according to hospital records the body of Daniel Rocha Jordan Brasileiro, 30, was claimed by the Brazilian consular staff on January 4.
The cause of Mr Brasileiro’s death is uncertain and is likely to remain a mystery following a decision by relatives not send his body to the regional Forensics Police center in Surat Thani for autopsy, said hospital officers.
Mr Brasileiro was found dead in the morning on December 27 by a friend who was sharing a room with him in Patong.
The pair were on holiday from New Zealand, where the late Mr Brasileiro had been living for about seven years.
“Mr Brasileiro probably died of a pre-existing condition; however, we don’t know the real cause of his death. His parents did not have any suspicions about the circumstances,” said Patong Police duty officer Jakkapong Luang-aon.
The Brazilian may have suffered from sleep apnea.
“His parents said he had a problem with breathing when he was sleeping…He was quite big, and his condition was more serious when he was drunk,” said Capt Jakkapong.
Capt Jakkapong emphasized that the cause of death was unassociated with the bar girls that Mr Brasileiro and his friend brought home on the night of his death.
The two men talked after the women left the room and there were no signs of any issues or problems at that time, he said.
A reliable source who was at the scene after Mr Brasileiro body was discovered told the Phuket Gazette that a quantity of erectile dysfunction medicine was found in the room.
Although a prescription drug, it is freely sold over the counter by many pharmacies in Patong, but less so in other parts of Phuket.
Some studies, including one by a Brazilian researchers in 2006, have suggested that use of use of erectile dysfunction drugs like Cialis and Viagra could heighten risk of pulmonary failure among sleep apnea patients.
However, a health alert on this subject posted on the highly-respected John’s Hopkins University website in 2007 was removed in September 2011 following review.
The update reads: “As part of our ongoing effort to ensure that this website is up to date, we have determined that the information in the article Viagra and Sleep Apnea is no longer current, and has therefore been removed.”
— Atchaa Khamlo & S. Fein
