The cofounder of the fashion giant ASOS, who rose to the heights of entrepreneurial success with the company, plummeted to his death from an 18-story building in Thailand.
Quentin Griffiths, 58, a British citizen, was found dead on February 9 at the foot of the luxury hotel in the seaside resort city of Pattaya where he had been living alone in a 17th floor suite, a BBC report revealed Friday.
The door to his suite was locked from the inside and there were no signs of foul play, police told news outlets.
Authorities told the BBC Griffiths was involved in ongoing legal disputes that may have caused him stress.
His second wife, a Thai national, had accused him of stealing more than $673,000 from a company — different from the fashion company — that they ran together. Griffith left day-to-day operation of ASOS years ago.
The couple was separated. Her claims resulted in police detaining Griffiths and questioning him about documents he allegedly forged to sell land shares from the firm without her knowledge, the Sun reported.
The investigation was still ongoing at the time of his death, according to the Sun.
However, family members were not quick to assume a suicide.
“It’s a real mystery,” a source close to his family told the British tabloid.
“The phrase ‘suspicious circumstances’ has been used but we just don’t know yet,” the insider said.
There’s been no official ruling on the manner of death — the options being accidental, suicide, or homicide. A ruling from a medical examiner could take weeks.
Griffiths cofounded ASOS in London in 2000 with three other partners, serving as marketing director, but left the company four years later. He remained a significant shareholder in the fashion and cosmetic retailer, reportedly making well over $20 million in proceeds from his ASOS holdings over the years.
ASOS started as an acronym for “As Seen On Screen,” as they sold fashion inspired by clothing worn by stars of film and television.
“It grew into a £3 billion (or $4 billion) global phenomenon, with the Princess of Wales and Michelle Obama both wearing its own-label designs,” the Sun reported.
Griffiths, a father of three, moved to Thailand around 2007, according to the Sun report, and after splitting from his first wife married a Thai woman. They had a son and daughter but broke up a few years ago.
A Foreign Office spokesman told news outlets, “We are supporting the family of a British national who has died in Thailand and are in contact with the local authorities.”
Contributor Lowell Cauffiel is the author of the New York Times true crime best seller House of Secrets and nine other crime novels and nonfiction titles. See lowellcauffiel.com for more.
Read the full article here