Tourist’s death puzzles police

PATONG: Mystery surrounds the final hours of an Italian tourist whose body was found in a shallow pool of water near Patong Beach yesterday evening. Alerted by a tip-off at about 6 pm yesterday, police went to the site, near the Phuket Palace Hotel on the main Patong-Karon road, and found Luca Tesei, 35, lying face-down in the shin-deep pool. Mr Tesei, whose body was unmarked, had been missing since Sunday. The pool was not easily visible from the road. Police are now trying to trace Mr Tesei’s last movements. At the same time, a medical examination of his body in Bangkok is being conducted to determine how he died. Mr Tesei and two friends had been staying at the Grand Tropicana Hotel in Patong. He rented a motorbike on Saturday but returned it the following day. That was the last time he was seen alive. Mr Tesei’s friends looked for him and, failing to find him, reported his disappearance on Monday to police in Patong. They told police that Mr Tesei was forgetful and sometimes seemed stressed. His personality had changed a lot recently, they added. When found, Mr Tesei was wearing a blue shirt, jeans, and white running shoes. He had a watch on his right wrist and a gold wristlet on the other arm. Police are puzzled as to where Mr Tesei was between Sunday and the discovery of his corpse three days later. They would like to hear from anyone who can shed light on his movements. Anyone with information that may help is urged to call the Patong police at 076-342719-20.