Heartbreak in Paradise: Australian Mum Karla Anne Drescher Found Dead in Thai Hotel Room After Boozy Night Out
- 47-year-old Karla Anne Drescher from Darwin was found lifeless in her hotel bed in Phuket, Thailand, on Monday afternoon.
- Her distraught son, Travis Deveraux, discovered his mother’s passing after calling the hotel when she failed to respond to his messages.
- A preliminary investigation suggests a combination of prescribed medication and excessive alcohol may have led to respiratory failure, but Travis believes there is more to the story.
Karla Anne Drescher, a 47-year-old mum from Darwin, was living her dream on a luxury holiday in Thailand when tragedy struck. Her lifeless body was found in her hotel room near Kata Beach in Phuket on Monday afternoon, leaving her family and friends in shock.
Her son, Travis Deveraux, 21, was devastated when he discovered his mother’s passing after she failed to respond to his messages. “Sadly, the way I found out was very wrong,” Travis said in an emotional interview. “I was worried about her as she messages me every day, especially while she was holidaying solo in Thailand.”
Travis was forced to make frantic calls to the hotel, where staff broke the news to him. He then spent four hours on the phone with the New Zealand embassy to get official confirmation. “It hurts me to know that I will never get the answers I want,” Travis said, struggling to come to terms with his mother’s sudden death.
Karla, originally from New Zealand, had been living in Darwin for 25 years. She was described by her son as her “best friend” and the pair were incredibly close. Travis said his mother was “healthy and not unwell in any way” and believes there is more to what happened than police are revealing.
A 49-year-old German man, who was reportedly with Karla on the night she died, claimed the pair had consumed drinks at a bar in Kata before returning to her hotel around 1 am. He told local media that Karla had consumed a large amount of alcohol and wasn’t breathing when he woke up at noon.
The German man was taken in for questioning and underwent a drug test, which came back negative. He was released, but Travis remains skeptical about the circumstances surrounding his mother’s death. “I have no idea who the German is,” Travis said. “She sent me photos of her having drinks the night before and never said anything about him.”
Travis has set up a GoFundMe page to raise funds to bring his mother’s body back to Darwin, where she will be laid to rest. The page has already raised $21,000 of the $30,000 target.
Karla’s death remains under investigation by Karon Police. The New Zealand Embassy in Bangkok is providing assistance to the family, who are still reeling from the sudden loss of their loved one.
“She was meant to be back on Tuesday night,” Travis said, his voice cracking with emotion. “Me and her were so very close, doing everything together… she was my best friend.”