Regan Kelly, a 28-year-old British tourist, was found dead off a Thai beach shortly after going missing on January 3 during a month-long trip. CCTV footage showed him leaving a bar at the Mad Monkey Hostel, where he had an intense conversation with an unidentified man before running toward Patong Beach, followed closely by the man. Regan’s body was discovered the next day, and although Thai authorities registered his cause of death as drowning, his family seeks a second post-mortem in the UK. They are raising funds to repatriate his body, as they suspect foul play and need answers about his last moments.
A devastated family is searching for answers after the body of a young British tourist was found off a Thai beach. This comes hours after he was seen running away from a bar where he met an unknown man.
Regan Kelly, 28, had just arrived in Thailand for a month-long trip when she went missing in the early hours of January 3.
The building surveyor, from Selsdon, south London, was last seen on CCTV footage in the bar of the Mad Monkey Hostel, where he was staying on the paradise island of Phuket.
Regan’s family said the footage showed her talking for several hours with a man who appeared to be a tourist but was not staying at the hotel, and the conversation became “increasingly heated.” It is said that
“We don’t really know what they were talking about, but it seems like the conversation was a bit confrontational,” his sister Rory Blackall told MailOnline. “There was no audio, but Regan seemed visibly upset.”
She said her brother then got up and abruptly left towards Patong Beach, and a man followed him seconds later.
Security camera footage from a hotel near the beach showed Regan running, with an unknown man following him about 15 seconds later. The video police shared with the family then cut out.
At 10 a.m. the next day, a water sports instructor discovered a naked body face down in the water off the coast of Patong. Police sent a photo to Regan’s family, who had filed a missing person’s report, and her identity was confirmed.
Laurie and her father are currently trying to piece together what happened in Thailand during her brother’s final moments and what he said to a mysterious man believed to be the last person to see him alive.
Regan’s family are also desperately trying to get her home and have launched a fundraising campaign to have her body returned to the UK so a second post-mortem can be carried out.
Regan Kelly, 28, went missing in the early hours of January 3, having just arrived in Thailand for a trip in January. She is pictured with her younger sister, Laurie.
Police and paramedics are seen on Patong Beach after Regan’s body was discovered on January 3.
The building surveyor, from Seldon, south London, was last seen on CCTV footage in the bar of the Mad Monkey Hostel, where he was staying on the paradise island of Phuket.
Regan was “very sociable and someone to talk to everyone” and was an experienced traveler who had previously visited Southeast Asia.
“The detectives said they’ve been working tirelessly, but I don’t know if they want to make it look like a tragic accident,” Lowry said. “Don’t get me wrong, it may have been an accident, but something really doesn’t sit right with me.”
Since landing on Dec. 30, Regan has been sending regular messages to her sister and father, sharing updates and letting them know she’s safe.
So when they didn’t hear from him on Jan. 3, they knew something was wrong and reported him missing, she said.
Regan was wearing shorts, a Mad Monkey T-shirt, a black baseball cap and a crossbody bag tied “securely” across her chest when she was seen running towards the beach.
But his sister said there was nothing on his body, his clothes and belongings were not found on the beach, and his cell phone was still missing.
“Our main focus is to get him home as soon as possible and continue to figure out what happened, because for us there is no closure and this is not a solved case,” said Laurie. said.
She described the man who followed her brother as looking like another tourist, not a local, wearing a white T-shirt and shorts and being “muscular”.
“I want this man to come forward and tell me what was said, and I want to ask him why Regan is so upset,” she said.
“Maybe he was just having a passionate conversation, talking about life… Judging from what we saw, they could have had a very deep conversation.” There is a gender.
“But it seems to have gotten heated towards the end. There are no more verbal or physical altercations.”
Laurie (pictured with Regan) described her brother as a “mature man” for his age and “the most beautiful person” who will be missed by his friends and colleagues.
She added that she was “surprised” to see her brother upset in the video. “He’s in paradise and he’s worked hard to get there, and it wasn’t like him to get so excited,” she said.
She described Regan as “a very sociable person who would talk to anyone” and said he was an experienced traveler who had previously visited Southeast Asia.
“He’s not a reckless party boy. He’s here to have a good time. But he’s here for backpacking and sightseeing, not partying, which a lot of people come for.” I was planning to stay for a month,” she said.
“He’s a professional, he’s not a lager lout. He’s not here to cause trouble. He’s here to make friends, network and socialize.”
She described her brother as “adult” for his age and “the most beautiful person” who will be missed by his friends and colleagues.
“He is a qualified building surveyor and will be greatly missed by the team, who rely on him on site. “He was an old head on young shoulders. ”
Regan’s cousin Larisa said his death was an “absolutely devastating” loss for the family.
“He was such a lovely guy, just a great guy. He had such a big smile, a big laugh, and was always laughing. We’re all saddened by his loss.
Since landing on Dec. 30, Regan has been sending regular messages to her sister and father, sharing photos of her updates.
Additionally, 28-year-old Laurie is the “youngest cousin of all of us,” and just a few years after losing her mother, one can only imagine the pain Cousin Laurie must have felt at “losing her baby brother.” He added that there was not.
Thai authorities have given Regan’s official cause of death as drowning, but the family is now seeking the opinion of a British coroner.
“We want him to be properly tested. I don’t know how thorough they are,” Lowry said. “We just want to bring him home, but we need to raise the funds to bring him home.”
It is believed Regan did not have travel insurance, meaning her family will have to pay a significant amount of money to get her back to London.
Regan’s family, who lost three uncles in 2023 and her mother in 2016, say her death is just the latest in a series of tragedies they have faced in recent years.
His family has set up a JustGiving page to help pay for the repatriation of his body and his funeral. Details can be found here.