One of the British tourists murdered on a Thai beach died as a result of drowning as well as a suffering a severe head wound, local forensics experts said Wednesday. David Miller, 24, was found naked and bloodied next to 23-year-old Hannah Witheridge on the scuba-diving hotspot Koh Tao on Monday. Both had deep gashes to the head and face that police think were inflicted with a bloodied garden hoe found nearby. However, an autopsy showed Miller had water in his lungs which indicated that he had also drowned, Pornchai Sutheerakune, head of the Thai Institute of Forensic Medicine, told reporters on Wednesday.
Police investigating the murders stopped two British brothers at an airport in Bangkok as they attempted to fly back to London, NBC News' U.K. partner ITV News reported. They have been asked to stay in the country while DNA tests were carried out. Local police chief Jakkrapan Kaewkhao told NBC News on Tuesday that they had tested at least 12 people for DNA and had captured footage of a man running on a security camera near the crime scene.
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- Alexander Smith
The Associated Press contributed to this report.