The family of a young backpacker found dead in a jungle on Koh Tao in Thailand, half eaten by lizards, suspect foul play, although police suspect suicide.
Belgian Elise Dellemange was found hanged in the jungle of the small island paradise in the Gulf of Thailand on April 28, half eaten by lizards.
The police assume that the 30-year-old committed suicide, but her mother Michele van Egten stated, according to the magazine “Der Farang”, that she does not believe the official version of her daughter’s death.
Her doubts are compounded by the fact that her daughter was the seventh tourist to die on the island in the last three years, earning it the nickname “Death Island.”
“I don’t believe what the police told us. We fear someone else was involved,” the mother told the magazine.
The mother said that if she had not made her appeal public, her daughter’s death would have gone unnoticed. She is still waiting for the promised autopsy report.
Before her death, Elise lived on a yoga retreat on Koh Phangan, known for its full moon parties, and traveled around Asia for the past two years.
The Belgian had joined the sect of Sathya Sai Baba, a self-proclaimed guru, but left the retreat on April 17 after deciding to return to her home country.
Elise’s Skype history shows that she called her mother on April 17 and left Koh Phangan on the ferry on April 19, supposedly heading for the mainland.
It is not known why she got off in Koh Tao, where, according to her mother, she checked into the Triple B Bungalows under the false name “Elise Dubis”.
On the evening of their arrival, an unexplained fire destroyed Elise’s hut and two others.
After losing all her belongings in the fire, she fled through the jungle through Tanote Bay to find a room at the Poseidon Resort, where she booked another ticket to the capital Bangkok on April 24.
Eight days later, some locals noticed a monitor lizard running in and out of the jungle.
Becoming suspicious, they followed the reptile and found Elise’s hanged, half-eaten body.
According to police, Elise hanged herself three days before her body was found.
She left no suicide note, and no messages have been found or forwarded to the family that provide an explanation for why Elise committed suicide, her mother said.
“Too many things point to someone being involved. The police told us that Elise hanged herself in the jungle. I cannot accept why my daughter committed suicide,” her mother told the magazine.
“She was normal at the last interview and there were no signs of depression,” she said.
In the past three years, seven tourists have died on the island paradise. Relatives of some of the dead criticized the subsequent police investigations.
A Frenchman and five British tourists have either died or been killed on Koh Tao. The most sensational deaths were those of Hannah Witheridge and David Miller in September 2014, who were murdered on their way back to their villas.
If you are concerned about your own mental health or that of a loved one, seek support and information from Lifeline 13 11 14, Mensline 1300 789 978 or Kids Helpline 1800 551 800.
