An Australian tourist was found dead in an apartment in Pattaya just two hours after a Swedish holidaymaker is believed to have been murdered by a mystery woman.

Michael Shane Caola, 54, from Perth, was discovered face down in a pool of blood in a room on the seventh floor at the Grand Shivalay apartment in 'Sin City' Pattaya.

Bizarrely, Mika Huotari, 38, from Sweden was found naked in the bath tub with a wound on his head after a woman was seen leaving his room with a bag.

Police are now investigating whether the two deaths and the possible 'femme fatale' seen on CCTV were connected.

Police Lieutenant Colonel Saijai Kamjulla of the Pattaya City Police Station said: 'The cause of the Australian man's death is still unknown and the results of the autopsy are pending. His case does not involve any woman, unlike the previous case involving a Swedish national who died in the same apartment on the same day. The case is currently under investigation, and further details cannot be disclosed at this time.

'Although there's no established link between the two deaths, since they occurred in the same building within a short time frame, we're not ruling out any possibilities and will continue to investigate.'

Officers said that Michael's body was discovered on Thursday, July 17, after worried relatives in Australia alerted staff that he had not answered his phone for two days.

The apartment manager went up to his room and was alarmed by a foul odour from behind the locked door seeping into the corridor. She immediately called the police for assistance.

Police arrived at 4 pm local time. They forced the door open and were immediately blasted by the stench.

The lifeless Aussie was found lying face-down in a pool of dried blood on the floor. He had a cut on his left elbow from broken glass, but police said there were no immediate signs of a struggle.

The room was strewn with medicine bottles and the rubbish bin was filled with discarded medication containers and a scalp vein set box. Toiletries and newly washed boxer briefs were found inside the bathroom.


Police said they have documented and gathered evidence at the scene before sending both bodies to the Pattaya Bhattamakun Hospital, where they will be kept pending contact with their families. An investigation will be carried out to determine the true cause of death in both cases.

Apartment manager Thanchanok Prajit, 27, said she received a call from Shane's family asking her to check on him because he was unreachable on his phone.

She said: ‘The deceased was an Australian man, around 34 or 35 years old. His family in Australia called the reception, saying they had been unable to contact him for two days.

‘He was a regular customer often seen exercising, probably to take care of his health. Police found several bottles of medication, suggesting he may have had multiple chronic health conditions. No alcohol or illegal drugs were found at the scene.'

Former fishing village Pattaya became popular with American troops on 'rest and relaxation' breaks in the 1950s and 1960s when the U.S. military had bases in Thailand while fighting Communism in Vietnam. Rural families are said to have even dressed their sons as women to cash in on the gold rush.

The handful of bars in the coastal town quickly grew and it is now the world's biggest sex holiday destination, with round-the-clock prostitution and drugs - a modern-day Sodom and Gomorrah rife with crime and debauchery.

Government chiefs have attempted to clean up the city but regular violence, depravity and claims of corruption continue to blight its reputation.