Australian tourist Stephen John Scott, whose body was found in the waters of Hạ Long Bay on Monday, committed suicide, the Quảng Ninh police said.

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Australian tourist’s death was suicide, say police

February 08, 2017 - 15:30

Australian tourist Stephen John Scott, whose body was found in the waters of Hạ Long Bay on Monday, committed suicide, the Quảng Ninh police said.

The dumbbell found in the water with Australian tourist Stephen John Scott’s body. — Photo vietnamnet.vn
Viet Nam News

HẠ LONG —  Australian tourist Stephen John Scott, whose body was found in the waters of Hạ Long Bay on Monday, committed suicide, the Quảng Ninh police said.

On Monday afternoon, Scott’s body was pulled out near Ti Tốp Island, four hours after he was reported missing from the cruiser Biển Ngọc.

As per the police’s preliminary investigation report, disclosed on Tuesday, around 8am on Monday, the cruiser anchored near Sửng Sốt Cave, a famous tourist destination in the bay, for a group of foreign tourists to visit the cave. However, Scott, head of the tourist group, and another British tourist chose to stay behind.

Around 8.30am, the British tourist and the six crew members heard a loud splash in the water and could not find Scott on the cruiser.

When the rescue force and fishermen found Scott’s body, they discovered that a dumbbell made of cement and metal had been tightly tied to his legs with a blue nylon rope.

The dumbbell was locally made and often kept on the deck of the cruiser, while the nylon rope was the type used in the cruiser, its crew members said in their statement.

An autopsy showed that there were no other injuries on Scott’s body and that he had died by drowning.

Based on autopsy results and evidence, the police have concluded that Scott’s death is not a crime and that he had tied his legs to the dumbbell himself and committed suicide. — VNS

 

 

 

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