British reality TV star found dead in Phuket canal; police suspect accidental fall, no signs of assault
Thai police are investigating the death of 32-year-old Briton Jordan Wright, reportedly starred in UK reality series The Only Way Is Essex, after his body was found in a canal near a Phuket hotel. Initial checks found no signs of assault.
Thai police are investigating the death of a British man whose body was found in a drainage canal near a hotel in Phuket, with initial examinations finding no signs of assault and officers suspecting he fell in by accident and was unable to climb out.
Police said they were notified at about 2.00pm on March 14, 2026 that the body of Jordan Wright, 32, a British national, had been found lying face down in a canal in Soi Bang Tao 2, Choeng Thale subdistrict, Thalang district, Phuket.
Investigators, forensic doctors and crime-scene officers examined the area and carried out an initial post-mortem. Authorities said they found no visible injuries consistent with an attack.
At the scene, officers recovered a hotel room key card for Room 2109 at COCO Phuket Bangtao (Soi Choeng Thale 14). Police said they collected evidence and are conducting a detailed investigation into the cause of death.
In an update on March 20, 2026, police said Wright entered Thailand on December 3, 2025, arriving in Bangkok on Qatar Airways flight QR 828 at 7.15pm, and was due to depart on May 31, 2026. Police also said he had previously appeared on the UK reality programme The Only Way Is Essex (TOWIE).
CCTV footage showed Wright checked into the hotel alone. Police said the footage captured him pacing repeatedly before he ran out of the hotel at about 11.25pm on March 12, 2026, heading towards an unfinished construction area within the hotel grounds. He then ran into a drainage canal with a reported depth of about 1.6 metres.
Investigators at Choeng Thale Police Station said the canal is around 1.6 metres deep, but measures about 2 metres from ground level to the canal bed, making it difficult to climb out—especially at night. Police said Wright appeared to be in a distressed or agitated state and they believe he was unable to pull himself out before dying.
Police said they are continuing to gather further evidence, including detailed forensic results, to determine the definitive cause of death.
