An American man and two friends were arrested today following the death of a Russian woman on a Thai island.

Jamaal Smith, 38, was detained along with Natalia Kosenkova, 35, after the discovery of Evgeniia Smirnova, 35, in the early hours of Tuesday morning.

A third man, Ahmad Radi Mustafa Alatoom, 28, from Jordan, was arrested at the Phuket International Airport while allegedly trying to leave the region.

All three are now being questioned over the death of Evgeniia, who plunged from the eighth floor of her hotel in Phuket. She suffered a severe head trauma along with a broken leg and was pronounced dead at the scene.

The three friends were detained on suspicion of possession of drugs after marijuana was allegedly found in the room they had been sharing with Evgeniia.

Police Major General Sermphan Sirikong said: ‘Police are working very hard to find the facts regarding the death of the Russian tourist. Please allow officers some time to investigate the case.

‘We have arrested the three tourists who shared the room with the deceased Russian woman and brought them to Patong police station and charged them for possessing the drug marijuana.’

Evgeniia had been drinking with the three friends at the property in the notorious party district of Patong in Phuket before she is said to have plunged to her death in the early hours of May 31.

The woman’s body was found lying face down, wearing a dark blue dress with red patterns. Her head was bleeding and in her right hand she was clutching strands of hair.

Police attending the scene found bottles, glasses of liquor, an unwrapped condom, an opened black condom cover, an ashtray, and cigarettes in the room. The room’s sliding door was left opened and there were no signs of intrusion and property being raided in the room.

Staff at the Emerald Terrace Resort told police that four people, including Evgeniia, had been staying in the 8th-floor room and there was a low-edged spiral staircase outside her room which connected to the 7th floor.

Officers are now probing the death at the Emerald Terrace Resort and have not ruled out foul play. They are coordinating with the Russian consulate in Phuket.

Police Lieutenant Colonel Chomphunuch Anantayakun said: ‘We believe that the woman might have accidentally fallen from the balcony while looking out at the view. However, it could be a homicide resulting from an argument.

‘We are in the process of interrogating the people involved. The hair in the woman’s hand will go through DNA testing to find who it belonged to.’

Police Major General Sermphan Sirikong said that officers have started interviewing the three friends who were with Evgeniia.

Her body has been sent to the Patong hospital for a post-mortem examination. Medics believe she died from a head trauma caused by the fall.

The policeman added: ‘An investigation is ongoing to report to the embassy. We need time before concluding whether it was an accident, a suicide, or murder.’

Police said the fall happened at the condominium block on the Phrabarami Road area of the city. It is a short walk from the Bangla Road red-light district, which is popular with Russian, Australian and British sex tourists.