Poker Player’s Mother Suspects He Was Murdered While in Manila

The mother of a professional poker player from Kilmarnock, East Ayrshire, Scotland, fears that her son was killed and robbed while visiting the Philippines. The 32-year-old professional poker player, Darren Young, was found dead in his rental condo in Manila, the Philippines, earlier this year.

In a recent interview for the Scottish Sun, Young’s mother, Jackie Bain, said that when her deceased son was found, personal possessions, including money and casino chips were missing.

The mother of the poker player claimed that his bank card, wallet and watch were missing. Also, an undisclosed sum in cash, as well as casino chips were nowhere to be found.

Bain explained that her son was renting a luxury condo by himself. “That’s where they found him on the bed. There were no signs of struggle but he had nothing with him. Darren had a pile of poker chips – they were gone,” explained the mother of the 32-year-old Scottish poker player.

The parent of the deceased poker pro added: “So were his watch, his wallet, his bank card and the local and British money he had with him.” According to Bain, her son’s expertise in poker may have captured the attention of “the wrong people.”

Before visiting Manila, Young traveled around Asia. His stops included visits to Pakistan, China, Dubai, Cambodia and Thailand. Young decided to make some money while in the Philippines which is why he rented a condo and regularly played poker.

A Mystery Couple May Have Spiked the Poker Player’s Drink

Reportedly, hours before the poker player was found dead, he sent messages to friends and relatives, saying that he suspected one of his drinks was spiked. Young suspected a local woman and an American gambler.

Several hours later, after relatives didn’t hear back from the 32-year-old man, they reported the case to the police. Law enforcement found the man’s body on his bed in the apartment he was renting.

According to the postmortem certificate of death, Young passed away from bilateral pneumonia. Bain didn’t say her son complained of being sick. This is why the poker player’s mother suspects that her son is the victim of a cold-blooded crime.

An examination of the 32-year-old’s body was completed in Scotland. So far medical experts have rejected the cause of death being pneumonia. However, further testing may be difficult considering that the young man’s body was embalmed before being returned home.

The Foreign Office is currently investigating the case. They are reportedly collaborating with law enforcement in Manila.

It is unclear whether the building where the young poker player lived had any active CCTV.

So far there’s no information about any suspects related to the case.

The identity of the couple Young suspected of spiking his drink also remains a mystery.