The body of a foreign man was found dead by a canal near a palm plantation in Patong Subdistrict, Phuket Province. Authorities are urgently verifying his identity in connection with a 65-year-old South African tourist who was reported missing.
On 9 Nov 2026, a Phuket social media page posted a search for a 65-year-old foreign man who disappeared without a trace. CCTV footage showed him walking on a street at night in Patong Beach, Patong Subdistrict, Kathu District, Phuket, dressed entirely in black. His family has since been unable to contact him. Recently, his daughter prepared to fly to Phuket to search for her father, fearing he might be in danger.
A missing person report was filed at Patong Police Station on 9 Nov 2026, identifying the foreign man as Devendren Nyger, a South African national. He had booked a room at a hotel in Patong Subdistrict, Kathu District, Phuket, for 6–13 Nov 2026. Nyger checked in at 4:00 p.m. on 6 Nov, but by 6:30 p.m. the same day, he had not returned to the hotel, prompting the family to report him missing.
At 2:00 p.m. on 13 Nov 2026, Patong Police received a report from local residents who found the body of a foreign man deceased from unknown causes near a canal beside a palm plantation along Phang Mueang Sai Road, Patong Subdistrict, Kathu District.
Chalermpong Saengdee, a Phuket MP, along with the Kusoltham Phuket Foundation, went to inspect the scene. Initially, the body was identified as a foreign man wearing a black short-sleeved T-shirt, black long pants, and black shoes lying by the canal. The body was decomposed to the point of being unrecognizable and estimated to have been dead for 5–7 days. The body was taken to Patong Hospital for autopsy to determine if there were any wounds and to establish the cause of death.
Meanwhile, the Patong Police investigation team is reviewing CCTV footage from in front of the hotel and surrounding areas near where the body was found to determine who the deceased was with, how he ended up there, and whether anyone caused his death.
Currently, there is no confirmation that the deceased is Devendren, the South African tourist previously reported missing. Authorities await official identity verification and a thorough autopsy to establish the cause of death. Preliminary findings show the deceased's clothing matches what Devendren wore on the day he disappeared from the hotel. Further confirmation of identity and cause of death is pending.