A terminally ill foreign woman who committed suicide on Koh Samui has left 50 million baht to her Thai maid. Some media are reporting the value of the maid’s windfall as up to 100 million baht.
It’s understood Catherine Delacote, a 59 year old French woman who ran a successful property business on the island, had been diagnosed with cancer. Her total wealth was an estimated 100 million baht, half of which has been left to her maid, named only as Nattha Walai, aka “Tim”.
Tim says she was not at the property when she received a call from the pool cleaner on Monday, April 29, to say their boss had been found dead. The maid rushed to the villa, where Ms Delacote’s body had been found on a bed by the swimming pool. Another worker found a pistol next to the body.
Tim, originally from the north-eastern province of Sakhon Nakhon, showed police a Line message she received from her employer, telling her she was leaving her assets worth 50 million baht.
In total, the maid has inherited the villa that was Ms Delacote’s home, along with an adjacent plot of 2 rai, a luxury car, jewellery, and an undisclosed amount of cash. In the message, the deceased woman asks Tim to look after her 3 cats and also confirms that she has left another 2 rented villas to her ex-husband.
According to a Nation Thailand report, Tim worked for Ms Delacote for 17 years. The Frenchwoman had travelled to Koh Samui with her ex-husband and started a property rental business, before expanding into luxury villa rentals.
Tim says that before her former employer killed herself, she transferred Tim her final salary, paid the Internet, water, and electricity bills, and wired the maid an additional 500,000 baht to cover the funeral costs.
If you or anyone you know is in emotional distress, please contact the Samaritans of Thailand 24-hour hotline: 02 713 6791 (English), 02 713 6793 (Thai) or the Thai Mental Health Hotline at 1323 (Thai).
SOURCE: Nation Thailand
