Body Found In Search For Missing American Man
Tragic Discovery In Cha-Am Forest
A heartbreaking tragedy appears to have had at least the solace of closure for the friends and family of James Stevens, the American man who was reported missing in August, sparking a search by police and Sawang Sanphet Foundation rescue workers, after a body was found in a remote forest area deep within the mountains of Cha-am.
A local resident, who was in the area looking for bamboo shoots, contacted the police after spotting the body, and police and rescue workers recovered it from a difficult spot deep in the forest, with the team having to climb a kilometre uphill to reach the location, and footage of the recovery appeared shortly after on social media. It took them about 3 hours to complete the operation. Initial reports stated that the body matched the description of Mr Stevens’ missing persons report, and this has subsequently been confirmed; our sincere condolences to the family and friends of Mr Stevens. At the time of writing no cause of death had been established, but it is a legal requirement in Thailand that all deaths of foreigners, regardless of circumstances, have thorough autopsies carried out.
It seems that Mr Stevens went to that location fairly soon after the last known phone location in Hua Hin on 20th August, as it has been estimated that his body had been there “several weeks”. There were no signs of a struggle, and police found a backpack and a childhood drawing nearby. Mr Stevens was a well liked and active member of the community, a keen hiker and cyclist, and was part of the “Hash” that has been running in Hua Hin for many years; members of the Full Moon Hash arranged a special tribute memorial run that took place on Sunday 28th September, with all proceeds being donated to his wife.
While we don’t know the circumstances of this tragic event, many similarities can be found with other cases where the individual suffered from depression, mental health or other issues and took their own life; if anyone reading this is having such thoughts, or knows someone they think needs help, please try to get the help needed. For foreigners, one of the few places in Hua Hin that has specialist mental health services is the Be Well Medical Center, but other support is available for particular issues, and if it involves alcohol or other substance issues, we recommend contacting Alcoholics Anonymous or Narcotics Anonymous as a first step – both have regular meetings in Hua Hin. There is no shame in suffering and seeking help – we are all human.
Image shown is a general picture from the mountains near Cha-Am to illustrate the difficult terrain, but not the exact location of the recovery
