Friends pay tribute to Joshua Beath after he died in Thailand

JOSHUA Beath was no stranger to Thailand and friends grieve following his mysterious death, where he was found naked in a pool of blood.

Joshua Beath tragically died in Thailand. Picture: Facebook

JOSHUA Beath was no stranger to Thailand.

But this time, a holiday to the country in Southeast Asia came to a tragic end when he was found naked in a pool of blood after falling from the balcony at the Surawong Road hotel in Bangkok.

The circumstances around his death are mysterious, with Thai police saying he checked into the hotel with a woman the night before he was found dead on July 29.

She was no longer there when police arrived.

A friend of Mr Beath, who remains anonymous, told news.com.au Mr Beath was a “big gentle man with a big heart”.

“He loved to have a good time and always had a smile on his face and loved Thailand and its people,” he said.

Joshua Beath was found dead at a Bangkok hotel. Picture: Supplied

Mr Beath, from Melbourne, has travelled to Thailand at least half a dozen times and it is unknown if he was travelling with a friend of by himself on his latest stint.

“Everyone is in shock by his death, especially with the circumstances and the unknown,” the friend said.

Mr Beath, 25, had recently been completely transformed after losing about 85kg.

His friend Jorden Harris has set up a GoFundMe page to raise money for his family to bring his body back to Australia.

Almost $25,000 has already been raised and tributes for the young man, known as Beefy, have been flooding the crowd-funding page.

Kelly Plunkett said she met Mr Beath in Thailand last year and they kept in contact and planned to meet again in November. They last spoke just two weeks ago.

“So shocked and saddened by this news,” she said.

“Josh was a lovely boy.”

Joshua Beath 85kg lighter. Picture: Facebook

Joshua Beath recently lost a lot of weight. Picture: Facebook

Mr Beath’s friend Tony Spiteri said he was one of the kindest and most loving blokes.

“You loved everyone and everyone loved you,” he said.

Police are analysing CCTV footage as part of an ongoing investigation.

The Australian reports there was no sign of a struggle and there is nothing to suggest he was the victim of a crime.

In an obituary published in the Herald Sun, family members spoke of their grief at losing Joshua in what they described as an accident.

“A piece of our family puzzle has been tragically taken and cannot be replaced. Words cannot describe how Josh touched all our hearts and everybody he met,” the notice read.

“We will miss your cheeky grin and your humorous intellect and huge heart.”

A spokesman for the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said it was providing consular assistance to the family, the ABC reported.

— with AAP