Cause of death of Irish backpacker found dead in Koh Tao ‘Death Island’ hotel is revealed as his heartbroken mother pays tribute

The cause of death of an Irish backpacker has been revealed after his body was found in his bed on the Thai island of Koh Tao.

Robby Kinlan, 21, from Quilty, Co. Clare, was found dead last week with his phone in his hand and his earphones on, his family said.

Initially there was mystery surrounding Robby’s sudden death, but yesterday the family said in an interview with the Irish Daily Mail that initial post-mortem results showed he had died due to acute pulmonary heart failure.

The family expects to achieve more concrete results in the coming weeks.

Speaking to the Mail, Robby’s mother, Tracy King, said her son’s “personality was his greatest talent” and described how he loved working with people and that his kindness and selflessness shone through in others.

Robby was found dead last Thursday on Koh Tao, which some have dubbed “death island” due to the number of unexplained or suspicious deaths among tourists there.

Robby had just completed an advanced diving course on the island and was “living his dream,” friends said.

Paying tribute to her son, Mrs King said: “He was a freediver and a master diver. He went there on November 20 last year. In the short time he was there he gained two qualifications.”

She described her son as a “water baby” and diving was “all he wanted to do.”

She said of his death: ‘It was all very unexpected. He was in a really good place mentally and his normal self.

“He was an absolute water baby since he started when he was 12 and he spent a lot of time in Lahinch and went back to Inis Mór last summer.

“He just walked in one day and said, ‘I’m going to Thailand. I’ve already booked the ticket.’ It’s all he wanted to do. That’s where all the diving took place,” she said.

‘He did very well there and supported himself with his (diving) qualifications. His personality was his talent – ​​and I would say to him, ‘Robby, you must be an actor or a bartender,’ or someone who interacts with the audience in some way.”

Robby’s older brother Tommy, 28, told the Mail he would give anything to see his younger brother again.

He made the comments after a GoFundMe campaign to return Robby’s remains to Ireland raised more than €43,000 in less than a week.

Tommy said: ‘He started working with tourists and they loved him. That’s how he talked about himself. He was just fun and charming and people loved him.”

He said the family would be “eternally grateful” for the money raised and the support they receive from neighbors and friends of Robby, but they only wish he was still with them.

“He was just a really good guy. He didn’t have a bad bone in his body. He was young and the world had not yet made him cynical.

‘He had such a good outlook. I looked up to him the most because he could see the good in every situation,” Tommy said.

‘Other than that, he had a hard time just like everyone else, but he really worked on himself.’

‘We often talked about supporting each other and how we were going to solve the problems. He did that very well. He absorbed wisdom and listened to his elders. He was doing well and now he’s gone.’

He added: ‘You can offer me any amount of money in the world, but I would turn it down if I wanted him back.’

Tommy said he and his family are still dealing with Thai authorities with the help of the Irish Consulate and they hope to have Robby home by the end of this week, but it could ultimately take longer.

He said: “People on GoFundMe and people physically nearby, it’s been a big help and support and we really appreciate it. We will be forever grateful for the assistance with his funeral.”

Robby was found unconscious after his friend knocked on his hotel door around 11 a.m. on January 9. ‘The room had not been broken into or searched and there were no signs of any abuse. He died alone in the room,” Lt Col Theeraphat Sanjai said.

Robby’s friends from the Dive Academy in Inis Mór, Co. Galway, have set up a fundraising campaign to take the body to his grieving mother.

One of Robby’s friends decided to stay with his remains on Koh Tao so he “isn’t alone,” his mother said.

Officers said Robby was staying at a resort less than two miles from Sairee Beach where Hannah Witheridge and David Miller were beaten to death in September 2014 – the incident that gave rise to the grim nickname ‘Death Island’.

In the past decade alone, there have been more than a dozen cases of unexplained or suspicious deaths among tourists on the island.

Many believe cases are being covered up or not properly investigated to protect powerful local interests on the island, which has a long history of violence and corruption.