Chilling similarities in bloody deaths of Aussie and Swedish tourists in the same Thai 'Sin City' apartment building just hours apart

Daily Mail​

6 days ago

An Australian and Swedish man who died in the same apartment complex in Thailand were both found in pools of blood next to overflowing bathtubs.
Perth roof painter Michael Shane Caola, 54, was found dead on July 17 on the seventh floor of the Grand Shivalay apartment in Pattaya, a beachside city famous for its sex-for-sale wild nightlife.
Pattaya City Police investigator Saijai Khamjulla said he received reports of the dead Australian about 4pm local time on Thursday.
Upon entering the room, officers found a broken glass and scattered pill bottles, but there were no signs of struggle.
Two hours earlier, Swedish national Mika Huotari, 38, was found dead in eerily similar circumstances after he was discovered naked near an overflowing bathtub with severe head wounds in his fifth-floor unit.
Police are probing CCTV footage which depicted a short-haired woman dressed in black entering the unit the night before his body was discovered.
Authorities currently do not believe the deaths are linked to each other.
Daily Mail Australia can reveal Mr Caola had been alone while his Thai-born wife of almost 10 years Phatsaya Caola celebrated her birthday without him two days earlier.
Phatsaya celebrated with a Facebook birthday post, but just days later paid tribute to Mr Caola by posting 'R.I.P Michael Shane' with sad face emojis.
The pair had regularly posted images of themselves at various resorts and exotic locations around Thailand, but their last social media post together was in January.
Apartment manager Thanchanok Prajit said she discovered Mr Caola after receiving a call from his relatives claiming they had been unable to contact him for two days.
Ms Prajit said the door had been locked from the inside and a foul odour was emanating from within, and she unlocked the door and contacting police.
'He was a regular customer, often seen exercising, probably to take care of his health,' she said.
Mr Caola, who also earned money buying and selling used utes, married Phatsaya in December 2015, but it's understood the couple broke up after sometime after January.
The couple had been frequent travellers between Perth and Thailand.
Mr Huotari was found dead just two hours before Mr Caola's body was located.
Ms Thanchanok told local investigators Mr Huotari had lived alone since May and was due to move out the day after he was found dead.
Investigators are yet to identify the woman they allege remained inside Mr Huotari's apartment for about 20 minutes.
It's alleged the woman was seen leaving the apartment carrying a bag and police consider her a person of interest.
It's been reported Ms Thanchanok claimed Mr Huotari frequently brought different women to his apartment during his stay.
Police have not confirmed whether Mr Huotari's death is being treated as a murder, but investigators have yet to rule out 'foul play'.
Investigators probing Mr Caola's death identified no signs of struggle.
Pattaya City Police Station Lieutenant Colonel Saijai Khamjulla said the cause of Mr Caola's death was still unknown and they were waiting for results of an autopsy.
'The case is currently under investigation and further details cannot be disclosed at this time,' he said.
He acknowledged the coincidence of the two deaths, but said there was 'no established link' between them.
'Since they occurred in the same building within a short timeframe, we're not ruling out any possibilities and will continue to investigate,' he said.
Mr Caola's social media is littered with photos taken across Thailand, stretching back a decade, including at markets and eateries in Pattaya.
The mysterious deaths are the latest to blight the city on Thailand's eastern Gulf coast notoriously known as 'Sin City'.
Despite recent efforts to remediate the city's image, local crime continues to make international headlines.
Earlier this week, wheelchair-bound British tourist Chris John Glennon, 60, was robbed by a trio of sex workers at a local resort.
Mr Glennon, from Northampton in England's East Midlands region, reportedly engaged the sex workers before bringing them back to his hotel room.
There, he claimed, they stole his money and took off while he was showering. Investigations into the alleged robbery are ongoing.