It’s been more than a year since tourist Luke Miller was found dead at the bottom of the Sunset Bar pool on Koh Tao. In that time, rumors swirled of head injuries, fights he had been in, and a possible homicide instead of the accidental drowning that was originally assumed to be his demise.
Yesterday, UK coroner Caroline Sumeray announced that there was no hard evidence of foul play and closed the inquest into his death.
Miller, 26, a bricklayer from the Isle of Wight, died on Koh Tao on Jan. 8, 2016. He arrived on the island on Dec. 22, 2015.
Sumeray said yesterday, “It has been suggested this was a cover-up by the Thai authorities but there has been a very thorough police report,” reported BBC.
Rumors surfaced that Miller had been in a fight the night before he was found dead. Sumeray, at one point, spoke to a “police contact” that said the case was being treated as a murder. Later, she said she could not confirm that her contact was actually a police officer.
Examination of Miller’s body revealed bruises on his face and legs as well as a head injury and drug tests showed that he had the stimulant Ritalin in his system and a high blood-alcohol level at the time of his death.
The dead man’s friends and family still believe his death was not accidental and have vowed to keep searching for more information.
For her part, the coroner said, “I can only record a conclusion based on the evidence before me, I cannot speculate about what may have happened.”
