Who was John Sheridan? US tourist's body found by Thai fisherman DAYS after he fell from viewing deck
PHUKET, THAILAND: The body of an American tourist, who supposedly fell on sharp rocks and bled to death, was discovered floating in the water off an island in Thailand by locals. On Wednesday, July 27, fishermen in Windmill Viewpoint in Phuket, Thailand, discovered the body of Pennsylvania native John Joseph Sheridan, 74, floating on the rocky portion of the shore. The tourist's body was pulled ashore by lifeguards after at least two hours since he had been dead for at least seven days and was already starting to rot.
The elderly man had a fanny pack on him that contained his passport and 30,000 baht ($818.93), wearing green shorts and a shirt with the Heineken beer brand on it. His autopsy was done at the Vachira Phuket Hospital and the US embassy was notified of the incident. Chalong Police Chief Colonel Karat Plaidueng said, “The body was found in the water among the rocks in front of a viewing deck, just north of Yanui beach. We believe he fell from the viewing deck and hit the sharp rocks below before bleeding to death. CCTV around the area would be checked in an ongoing investigation.”
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According to the police, his legs were folded, and his body was resting face down with his face wedged between the rocks. The man's body was covered with worms, his skin was swollen, and his bones were protruding. Officers discovered a South Korean residence card and a hotel key card on the man. The case's investigator, Lieutenant Colonel Jarus Lempan, stated to the Viral Press, “We have checked the CCTV on the route the tourist had walked past. The hotel said that the elderly tourist had been missing. We will coordinate with the American embassy and proceed to the next steps.” Officers claimed that the US Embassy in Bangkok had been notified about Sheridan's passing so that people may get in touch with his family.
Earlier this year, in a similar incident, a local fisherman had a morbid catch when he discovered the remains of an unidentified man floating in the waters off the coast. When the floating man was reported to Pattaya City Police, they dispatched rescue divers to assist in retrieving the body. Near Jomtien Beach, when they got there, they discovered the dead man floating face down in the water. The man had no ID card or any identifying documents on his body when he was pulled from the sea. He was clad only in a black t-shirt and black pants that offered no clues to who this man was. According to the analysis of forensic investigators, the man was likely dead for at least 2 weeks, floating in the water for a while before the fisherman stumbled upon his corpse.