It’s official: American who escaped from Pattaya court is dead

The American drug suspect who was involved in the dramatic escape from a Pattaya court last week has been pronounced dead.

The confirmation came from the Sa Kaeo Crown Prince Hospital that Bart Allen Helmus died at 6 pm last night. He had been in a coma on a respirator and had been unresponsive since last week when he was erroneously reported as having died in the Thai media.

The 39 year old shot himself as police closed in on him and his wife on Wednesday last week following their breakout with a Thai man the previous Monday. Local police in Sa Kaeo had mounted a bedside guard that changed every eight hours and appealed through the US Embassy for relatives to come forward.

Thai Visa / 77kaoded